Thanks to a revolutionary engine, the hypersonic plane will be able to exceed 7,000 km/h, connecting the big cities of the world in a few hours. If the tests are positive, it could be the beginning of a new era of the Air Force.
In which parallel universe you can take off from Rome and land in New York in less than an hour? AND It is possible that in the one in which we live it can be done in the not too distant future, perhaps already by 2030. This incredible opportunity could in fact become reality thanks to a hypersonic planea aircraft capable of flying Over 7,000 km/hdriven by a revolutionary engine: the VDR2developed by Venus Aerospace. Based on an innovative technology, this engine promises not only a record as a record, but also greater efficiency than traditional reaction.
An innovative technology. The VDR2 engine works according to The principle of Ramjeta system in which the air is compressed by the speed itself of the flight, without the use of turbines or movable parts. This simple but brilliant concept allows you to reach up to Mach 6or about 7,400 kilometers per hour. In practice, traveling from Rome to New York may only take 55 minutes, while even longer, for example Rome-Tokyothey would be reduced to about two hours (In this case, however, a short stop for refueling would be needed, given that the expected autonomy is about 8,000 km).
But it is not only the speed that makes the difference: the engine patented by Venus Aerospace could do consume up to 15% less fuel Compared to those currently in use, making hypersonic flights more efficient and, potentially, less expensive and polluting.
The challenge of heat. All beautiful? Not really: from a technical point of view, one of the greatest difficulties in achieving hypersonic speeds is the management of high temperatures. In those conditions, the air that enters the engine warms at extremely high levels, up to 2,130 ° Cenough to seriously damage the internal components.
Vdr2 tackles this problem eliminating the turbines completelyor the most vulnerable parts of conventional engines, and inserting the so -called “in their place”rotating detonation“((Ridewhich stands for Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine), a process that generates supersonic shock waves and produces a huge thrust without compromising the engine structure. In detail, the system is equipped with two coaxial cylinderswith the common rotation axis, separated by a chamber in which one is inserted Mixing of fuel and oxidant: If the detonation takes place correctly, VDR2 should be able to tolerate extreme temperatures without losing efficiency and momentum.
Human resistance. Then there is a further aspect, perhaps the most important, to be solved: travel to Mach 4 (this would be the actual cruise speed) does not present only challenges techniques, but also physical for crew and passengers. The stresses due to hypersonic speed they can be extremely intense, especially during the acceleration and deceleration phases, Putting the human body to the test.
However, engineers are developing solutions for minimize the impact of forces G: ergonomic seats designed to evenly distribute the push, pressurized environments and acceleration control systems could make the flight experience tolerable. Also, the high altitudes to which it would travel (we speak of 33,500 meters, that is, on the threshold of the stratosphere) they would reduce turbulenceoffering a surprisingly fluid experience.
When the hypersonic plane will take off. The First VDR2 flight test is expected for 2025when the engine is mounted on an experimental drone. If the results are positive, it could be the beginning of a new era of the Air Force.
Before civil flights, however, VDR2 will probably find Application in the military and spatial fieldsthanks to its potential efficiency and resistance. If the project went to the port, there will not only be a revolution in travel times, but also in the way we conceive global distancesand the world will suddenly become much smaller.
