Concorde could lose its title as the fastest-ever passenger plane after plans were unveiled for a jet which could fly from London to Sydney in – three-and-a-half hours.
The Hypermach SonicStar is a business jet which will be capable of a top speed of 2,664mph – twice as fast as Concorde
It will fly at 62,000ft – enough for passengers to see the curvature of the earth.
Hypermach CEO Richard Lugg wants the ambitious plane in the skies in ten years and has already secured funding from The UK Department of Trade and Industry, which has agreed to support the company in Britain.
Speaking at the Paris Air Show, he said: ”We have access to revolutionary engine technology, and a unique, very high speed aircraft design to make this kind of earth-shatteringly fast air travel possible.
”And we have a date. Our plan is to build and fly the world’s first very high speed supersonic hybrid aircraft by June, 2021.”
Propulsion for the 20-seat aircraft will come from two hybrid engines designed by HyperMach’s engine partner SonicBlue.
The ‘S-MAGJET 4000X’ engines will produce 54,700lb thrust but be 30 per cent more fuel efficient than the Rolls-Royce engines used in Concorde.
Concorde was the first passenger jet to break the sound barrier when it was launched in 1976. It remained in service until its retirement in 2003 following the 2000 Paris air disaster.
The plane’s retirement signalled the only period in modern history when transport went backwards.
Passengers could travel from Paris to New York in three hours and 30 minutes whereas now it takes eight hours.
Hypermach claims its SonicStar will cover the same distance in half the time of Concorde.
It will be able to fly from New York to Dubai in 2.5 hours and from London to Sydney in an incredible 3.5 hours.
They also claim the aircraft, which is expected to cost around £60 million, won’t suffer from sonic boom – the sound blast from a plane which breaks the speed of sound.
