Return of supersonic travel!

[B777LR]

Though i doubt it will even reach prototype stage, its very interesting from a what-if point of view!

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/02/05/221310/pictures-ultra-long-haul-flights-in-hypersonic-aircraft-to-take-under-five-hours.html

[ysi_maniac]

Thanks for posting

[Mossie]

It's called "LAPCAT", more here on the companies site:
http://www.reactionengines.co.uk/lapcat.html

I heard this on the radio this morning too but nearly forgot about it.  When I saw Thomas' link I was surprised it was LAPCAT, because this project has been on the go a few years at least.  Like many advanced British projects, it's pretty well thought out & inventive, it just lacks the funding.  One of the company founders worked on HOTOL I think.

LAPCAT also has an orbital brother called Skylon.
http://www.reactionengines.co.uk/skylon_overview.html

[Nick]

Don't they look a lot like the Avro 730........

Of course it's the same design because of the same height/speed requirements but it seems strange that so little has changed, in a way.

[deathjester]

Not that strange at all...it just goes to show that Avro's designers got it right all those years ago.
  The strangest thing to me is that it seems that all the most 'hi-tech' ideas / designs seem to have been thought up about 70 years ago, and then had to wait for technology to catch up to them!

[upnorth]

That aircraft reminds me a whole lot of the Myashichev M-50 "Bounder" bomber design, especially with that wing and engine arrangement.