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| Hypersonic passenger jet designed | Hypersonic passenger jet designed |
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| A British firm claims to have designed a hypersonic passenger plane that could one day fly between Europe and Australia in less than five hours. | A British firm claims to have designed a hypersonic passenger plane that could one day fly between Europe and Australia in less than five hours. |
| The A2 aeroplane, designed by Reaction Engines in Oxfordshire, would carry 300 passengers at a top speed of 4,000mph. | The A2 aeroplane, designed by Reaction Engines in Oxfordshire, would carry 300 passengers at a top speed of 4,000mph. |
| The company said the aircraft, which is still at the concept stage, could be operating within 25 years. | The company said the aircraft, which is still at the concept stage, could be operating within 25 years. |
| It said the A2 would be able to keep a sustained speed of 3,800mph, more than twice the speed of Concorde. | |
| At 143m (156yds) long, the A2 it is roughly twice the size of the biggest current jumbo jets. | At 143m (156yds) long, the A2 it is roughly twice the size of the biggest current jumbo jets. |
| It would run on a liquid hydrogen engine being developed by Reaction Engines, based at Culham near Abingdon. | It would run on a liquid hydrogen engine being developed by Reaction Engines, based at Culham near Abingdon. |
| The first man-made object to reach hypersonic speeds was the two-stage US "Bumper" rocket, assembled from a captured German V-2 rocket in 1949. | The first man-made object to reach hypersonic speeds was the two-stage US "Bumper" rocket, assembled from a captured German V-2 rocket in 1949. |
| Astronauts and cosmonauts have all reached hypersonic speeds while passing through the atmosphere on their way to and from orbit. | Astronauts and cosmonauts have all reached hypersonic speeds while passing through the atmosphere on their way to and from orbit. |
| Current research, however, focuses on sustained hypersonic manned flight within the Earth's atmosphere, which has not yet been achieved. | Current research, however, focuses on sustained hypersonic manned flight within the Earth's atmosphere, which has not yet been achieved. |