Supersonic jet engine flight looks like a roaring success

AN international team developing a new type of supersonic jet engine that has the potential to slash air travel times said yesterday that a test flight looked like a success.

Scramjets, also known as supersonic combustion ramjets, can theoretically halve payload weights by only carrying fuel such as liquid hydrogen rather than both the fuel and oxygen carried by traditional rockets. That would significantly cut the cost of launching satellites into space.

Scientists also believe scramjets could one day be used to build aircraft capable of flying from London to Sydney in a few hours, a flight that takes at least 18 hours by passenger jet.