Yet another green project at last week’s Paris Airshow shows how the industry’s attention is shifting towards becoming more efficient and bringing down emissions. HyperMach presented a large-scale model of its ground-breaking new supersonic business jet, SonicStar, which it hopes to roll out within 10 years. For years, innovation in supersonic technology has been curbed by understandably stringent regulations on the level of aircraft noise permitted over land. But SonicStar uses innovative technology to allow control of aerodynamics leading to actively eliminating the problem of sonic boom at very high speeds. To make unprecedented travel times a reality, speed is, quite literally, of the essence. But with climate change a pressing global concern, HyperMach have put revolutionary green engine technology at the heart of SonicStar’s development. This next generation hybrid electric gas turbine engine which has been in development for seven years at SonicBlue provides the power generation capability to reduce jet emissions by 100%, increase thrust to weight ratio by 20% and reduce parts count in core engine components by 40%. No sonic boom despite going at three times speed of sound As well as curbing emissions and boosting efficiency, SonicStar will achieve the speed of Mach 3.5, while dramatically reducing sonic boom overland. “You’ll be able to fly supersonic from New York to Sydney in five hours with no sonic boom overland – changing the way in which the world does business….. forever,” explains HyperMach. Richard Lugg, HyperMach’s Chairman commented during the unveiling in Paris: “I’ve made it my life’s work to make this dream a reality. Now, in 2011, 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.” The propulsion system for SonicStar is a new Hybrid engine, S-MAGJET 4000X designed by HyperMach’s engine partner SonicBlue. It is over 30% more fuel efficient then the Rolls Royce 593 Engine in Concorde. This is record breaking technology for a supersonic engine design. The 54,700 thrust class S-MAGJET engine is optimized to fly the HyperMach SonicStar aircraft at 62,000 ft, at a specific fuel consumption below 1.05 at Mach 3.5, this performance will be unprecedented and will welcome in a new era of the future of aerospace transport. HyperMach reveals that the engine technology will be developed and built in the UK and are currently in discussions with potential engine partners for the manufacture of the engine. The UK Department of Trade and Industry have agreed to support the company in the UK, as it establishes and grows the strategic Global Headquarters for the commercial engine development and manufacture of S-MAGJET 4000X. The UK’s Global Entrepreneur Programme is key to attracting some of the world’s most significant breakthrough technologies to the UK, creating the next generation of high growth sustainable global technology companies, and is involved in this new project. “We will be working with Richard Lugg and his company to explore ways for the SonicBlue engine, HyperMach and SonicStar to take advantage of the UK’s unique, global support infrastructure and network, which will help to establish the business as a dominant company in its field,” reveals Andrew Humphries, Dealmaker for the UK’s Global Entrepreneur Programme. HyperMach is currently working to secure investment and create value in preparation for launch in 2021. For additional information: Source: Renewable Energy Magazine
