Reaction Engines LAPCAT A2 hypersonic airliner

[ACfireandiceDC]

In 25 years, this will be old-fashioned. Besides, nothing like this has ever been built. So many cool things like the Rockwell X-30 and the Project Valkyrie spaceship have been cancelled. Heck, we can barely even make a manned aircraft that travels at mach 6 for more than a few minutes (X-15), and our fastest airplane travels at mach 3.2. Given this, the chances that we'll have a single-stage-to-orbit (Reaction Engines' Skylon) in 9 years. I'm willing to bet anything that this never happens.

[nnj3k]

Reaction engines has been working on this project and a few others like it since 2000 and the only thing they've seemed to produce is a few preliminary sketches and spreadsheets and "theoretical estimates" with no real testing or prototypes. I'm personally not too excited about this. Check out their website and view the media releases. It looks like hardly any work has been done at all =/.

[MUSTASCH1O]

Hopefully it won't be too much of a problem to fit windows on it.

[upernoe]

Get rid of the EU Flag, this is a british aircraft!

[haku8645]

@upernoe The research and development is almost entirely funded by the EU. Tough shit

[upernoe]

@haku8645 Yeah but it's being made in britain by british researchers aswell. the eu doesen't deserve to have the flag on it, espcially since they are failing to sort out the euro crisis.

[Vinc3ntPh4m]

Do want

[alfred38uk]

Get rid of that bloody E.U.flag motif on the tail and then it would be fantastic

[xxxxxHavocxxxxx]

"Bullet Plane"

[Armigo91]

@xxxxxHavocxxxxx

Must be a futuristic science fictional bullet then. The fastest sniper rifle bullet travels mach 3.5

This plane does mach 4 up to mach 6.

[Helge129]

@Armigo91 the fastest round ever fired traveled at mach 6 tho, and that was from a railgun.

[LewisHNL]

Why the hell is this not being built! Build it now!

[CyphenPhsyX]

no windows? What em I suppose to look at? when sitting inside..... pfft

[solarwriter]

@CyphenPhsyX  of course there would be windows

[hombrerelents]

@solarwriter Not real ones, not at that speed because of the heat generated at mach 5 would mean you'd require very thick windows and they'd add a colossal weight to the aircraft. More likely you'd have outboard cameras and in-cabin HD displays.

[anarchosolar]

@hombrerelents But there has been windows on other vehicles.

[hombrerelents]

@anarchosolar True, like on the space shuttle, but you're going to have to accommodate windows at the front and over the entire length of the cabin in order to get the same views you have in a jet. It's too much weight; you may as well do away with windows altogether.

[anarchosolar]

@hombrerelents They would have an observation deck or room and of course windows for the pilots.

but not along the sides.

[arien60]

Hahahahaha breath taking spaceplanes..i guess you think the starship enterprise is a work of art...breath taking we can all draw weird and wonderful space ships on paper..doesn't mean yer can actualy build em though does it..as i said it'll never happen till a REAL space organisation comes along, drags space into the limelight for the UK and ACTUALLY LAUNCH something from the uk shores not this european launch rubbish..then you'll see amazing things happen in the UK and not until then..

[ImACuteGeek]

@arien60 You do realize that what you're saying requires actual steps right? It took years to develop the space shuttle for NASA. Lapcat works under the same limits. Have you ever made a complicated project like a camera rig for a film? You need to make blue prints and/or small-scale models before even thinking of starting the actual project. This video is one of those first steps.

Learn the actual process of building something before you go trolling.

[runsthepoint2]

it's ok but where's the windshield ?

[Armigo91]

@runsthepoint2

Blown away,

But dont tell...

[EdouardDubois]

Woaaah... Skylon turned airliner? That's badass.

[arien60]

JUS another load of WAFFLE..people call Starchaser industries as being deramers but at least he has launched something and shown positive test results..these have shown only animations and big piece of blue neon lighted plastic as a display for an engine..nothing actually errr real though..hey Willets summed it up for me.Saying .we'll wait to see the engine test results and look at what we can do after that..ah well guess thats another 20 years then Richard....

[Armigo91]

@arien60

Why are you leaving the same copies on every Reaction LTD related video.

Nobody called starchasers as "dreamers" and even if someone or "many" did. Starchasers is persuing a whole different goal in space (which is tourism) not to mention that their aproach to space is very differently and not done trough breathtaking spaceplanes.

They just use old fashioned rockets in the best economic way. Since yourself were the one to subject the company I hope you dont find it a miss as i say

[Armigo91]

theyre old fashioned and decades to late.

So just dont waste your time again, replying the same "waffle" again. If you do so anyway, please this time with cream and sugar. I dont like natural waffles, only if theyre sweetened. That one wasnt sweetened.

Thanks in advance.

[MrEiriku]

@arien60 blow me skank

[cymro5]

Only issue with that design - no windows!!!!

[EdouardDubois]

@cymro5

By the time this thing is put into application, the passengers will probably each have full 1080p resolution personal screens to keep them entertained. And the cockpit doesn't need windows because it's going to be fully unmanned, which is good because it should help remove human error.

I will admit there is a bit of a thill gained from being able to see the clouds and landscape bellow from the windows... but I suspect they'll even be able to do something like add cameras along the

[EdouardDubois]

@cymro5

By the time this thing is put into application, the passengers will probably each have full 1080p resolution personal screens to keep them entertained. And the cockpit doesn't need windows because it's going to be fully unmanned, which is good because it should help remove human error.

[TonyKaiser83]

God, it's amazing how big that thing is (450-460 feet). They'd probably need to park that plane at a 45-degree angle to make it fit inside the 80x80 meter box.

[JamesCunnyy]

EU flag on the end is a crime to put such a evil cult on the end of plane how stupid.

[OliBusby]

get some friends.

[VIR092]

...And it's an unmanned aircraft....Dumbest idea ever and there will be no windows o it.. Bad idea.

[HudsonM1A2]

the best solution for aircrafts when our oil reserves are depleted! the only "but" is the risk of decompression on altitudes as high as 25km away from the ground, if it happens, consider yourself (if you're there) ice cream... meat flavor!

[hereHehereHE]

can it transport a car(s)?

?

[poptartpencil]

the only problem is that it doesntt have windows

[BoAbkal]

@poptartpencil count me out then lol. i prefer a 16 hour flight with windows than a 4 hour flight being stuck in a giant metal tube.

[walker1054]

@BoAbkal but the projection for this thing is like the year 2030, so by then putting some tv on the wall next to your seat showing the outside (via a camera) will be well cheap enough to implement. So dont worry, it wont be that bad :)

And i travels at MACH5 which is like 5x faster that todays planes so you wont be in them for long either.

Its all cool :)

[guyi2545]

Wait...Wouldn't the plane going Mach 5 have some sort of effect on the passengers like G force on an astronaut? Possibly a stupid question

[zaphr89]

@guyi2545 Yup pretty stupid question. G-force effects on an astronaut is because he/she is in space = low gravity. 25km isn't high up enough to make that big of a difference. And acceleration won't be that fast either.

[guyi2545]

@zaphr89 Was just curious that is all....

[HNMpepper]

@zaphr89

I disagree

This is because firstly, it's not necceairly being in space that produces low gravity. In low earth orbit you would be zero gravity anyway not low gravity unless acceleration or a rotating spacecraft is used. In the upper atmosphere there would be neglible drag and lift so the spacecraft would be weightless until renetry. Even when in low earth orbit altitudes let alone sub-orbital ones like this gravity is only slightly less it's the freefall, that makes it seem zero-g.

[chenalos]

I hope they include windows. I know it goes mach 5 in very thin air, but If I get that close to outer space, I want to be able to see it.

[mackat4ck]

I hope this thing gets built. Someone needs to make this for fsx (although judging by mike stones stingray, mach 4.7 is the most that fs will allow)

[CVKent317]

@mackat4ck It won't allow over Mach 4.7?

[mackat4ck]

I think so.

[CVKent317]

Is there any way to physically (and legally) manipulate the software to allow it to go faster and higher?

[adrastea99]

Reaction engines and kinetic bullets

lolfail

[Gaazmazk]

Explain, or you're the one failing.

Also, while environmentally friendly, all these plane and engine concepts fail to make use of a number of other technologies that might make launch and flight even more economical. Lifting body aerodynamics, magnetic rail launching...

[adrastea99]

All engines are reaction engines

All bullets are kinetic bullets

[stardolphin2]

And all personal computers are PCs (says someone who still remembers when they were called 'microcomputers') but we still take that to mean a Windows/Intel box, not a Mac...

Yeah, the company name's kinda generic, but so what?

[adrastea99]

I'm sorry I have no idea what the hell you are talking about

[stardolphin2]

Use of any kind of ground accelerator helps...but it also limits the possible launch directions you can take. Anything that can operate out of a conventional airfield, greatly simplifies operations.

[TheStephenShow]

It'll first of cruise at Mach 0.9 and then go up to Mach 5.

[TheKillmanable]

that is outside of earth atmosfer

[xoio]

HOW noisy would that be on takeoff! - People moaned about concorde! .. this would drown that out!

[TheStephenShow]

It'll enter service in like 25 years.

[Flybyhacker]

4 intregrated turbofan and scramjet

like spacecraft u fly at altitude 25 km

rocket shape body

this possible???

maybe if u got MONEY and POLITIC

[IlianVelev]

this is skylon?

[roidroid]

the Lapcat design as shown in this video is for a hypersonic intercontinental transport.

Skylon however is an orbital spaceplane, it can reach orbital heights and speeds.

[MTTT1234]

and the best thing is: it is a green airplane because it´s powered by liquid hydrogen not by kerosin

[stockshunter]

is this a design or has it been produced

[MTTT1234]

it´s on the way of beeing produced; they estimate it could fly regularly by 2030

[stockshunter]

Yah I read about it in their website. I even sent them a letter if they take students to work with them for a year. I've used the A2 picture (the red one) as a desktop background.

[jdmifsud14]

@MTTT1234 all planes and vehicles should run on hydrogen

[LouistheHedgehog]

@MTTT1234

But how are you going to produce the hydrogen in a way that does not pollute?

[g25a25c]

@LouistheHedgehog by using electrolysis and the electricity that it uses is from a renewable energy source ie solar power and wind turbines

[TheDokaDoka]

@MTTT1234 however, it flies in the ozone layer

[ygmarchi]

@MTTT1234 hydrogen is only an energy carrier not an an energy source. As such it's neither green or ungreen. Given that "to fly 10 hypersonic planes from the UK to Australia every day would use up to 20% of the UK's national grid" (BBC), I wouldn't say it's green!

[sigfridarandaremon]

who cares what it looks like if itd take us to oz in 5h!!!

i think itd be amazing and i dont think it ll take as long as 25 years. this could be the begining of a new era, so exciting!

apparently it wouldnt have any windows but there would be plasma screens on the walls showing what's outside!

check wikipedia for more info

[cantleysugar]

Is it just me, or did you nick the plans for Fireball XL5?

[mattlay]

i think it looks great

[AeroAquarius]

I really don't like the A2. It's waaaaaaaay too big and it's really ugly, looks like a nuclear missile. Horrible thing.

[MrEiriku]

@AeroAquarius douchebag