Experimental Scramjet Hits Mach 10

Via Gulf-Times -

CANBERRA: An experimental jet engine has been successfully tested at speeds of up to 11,000km per hour, or 10 times the speed of sound, during trials in Australia’s outback, defence scientists said yesterday.

The experimental scramjet engine is an air-breathing supersonic combustion engine being developed by Australian and US defence scientists that researchers hope will lead to super-high speed flight.

Scientists from Australia’s Defence Science and Technology Organisation and the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), used a conventional rocket to launch the scramjet high above the Woomera test site.

The engine was then tested as it reached speeds of Mach 10.

Scramjets need a rocket to propel the vehicle to high-speed before the engine can take over. They also need to operate in the thin atmosphere far above the altitude of commercial airliners.
“All the indications are it was a success, and we have some very happy scientists,” an Australian defence spokesman said yesterday.

Flight data will be examined over coming weeks and compared to ground tests conducted in the United States, DARPA chief researcher Steven Walker said in a statement.

“We are pleased with this joint effort between the US and Australia and believe that a hypersonic airplane could be a reality in the not too distant future,” Walker said.

Scientists say the scramjet engine could lead to high-speed flights on long-range missions, as well as new low-cost ways to launch satellites into space.

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Scramjet = Supersonic Combustion RAMJET

Ramjet is kinda like a turbojet with a compressor or turbine. Since the ramjet lacks the parts used to compress incoming air, it has a minimum operating speed (600 mph). Solid Fuel ramjets have almost no moving parts, while the only moving parts of a liquid fuel ramjet are those making up the turbopump.

Projections for the top speed of a scramjet engine (without additional oxidiser input) vary between Mach 12 and Mach 24 (orbital velocity), but the X-30 research gave Mach 17 due to combustion rate issues.

Anything over Mach 5 is called hypersonic.