Lonan3 Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 STORY A British-designed, 3,800mph (6,115kph) hypersonic airliner could one day ferry holidaymakers from Brussels to Sydney in five hours. The A2, designed by Oxfordshire company Reaction Engines, would hold 300 passengers and travel at five times the speed of sound. The company aims to have the plane in service within 25 years, and believes that an Antipodean return trip would cost about as much as an existing business-class ticket – around £3,500. The project, known as the Long-Term Advanced Propulsion Concepts and Technologies or LAPCAT, is funded by the European Space Agency (ESA) to encourage the use of space-travel technology in aircraft design. According to Reaction Engines the A2 would be capable of sustained travel at Mach 5, or 3,800mph - more than double the late Concorde’s top speed. Powered by liquid hydrogen engines called Scimitar, based on existing technology, the A2 will be 143 metres long, or roughly twice the length of an Airbus A380, the largest airliner currently in service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amadeus Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 The A2, designed by Oxfordshire company Reaction Engines, will be assembled in a shed behind the office and fall apart on first take-off, or even before that if there happen to be leafs on the runway. This all doesn't matter, however, as the company will go bust long before that day. fixed... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lonan3 Posted February 5, 2008 Author Share Posted February 5, 2008 The A2, designed by Oxfordshire company Reaction Engines, will be assembled in a shed behind the office and fall apart on first take-off, fixed... What? You mean they're a German-owned engineering company? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skeddan Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 The A2, designed by Oxfordshire company... Word is there is also a smaller A4 model that folds flat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimcalagon Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 I'll believe it when I see it. I still remember the media going mental over HOTOL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimcalagon Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 I'll believe it when I see it. I still remember the media going mental over HOTOL. I just did a google on HOTOL and found out - surprise! - the bloke who designed the engines for HOTOL in the 1980s is now the MD of 'Reaction Engines Ltd.' who have designed the LAPCAT/A2 I'd love to see it happen but the words 'pie' and 'sky' spring immediately to mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blixo Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 I'll believe it when I see it. I still remember the media going mental over HOTOL. I just did a google on HOTOL and found out - surprise! - the bloke who designed the engines for HOTOL in the 1980s is now the MD of 'Reaction Engines Ltd.' who have designed the LAPCAT/A2 I'd love to see it happen but the words 'pie' and 'sky' spring immediately to mind. All looks very Gerry Anderson to me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cret Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 I'll believe it when I see it. I still remember the media going mental over HOTOL. I was going to say the same thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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