Reaction tests SABRE precooler at Mach 5 conditions

News

The UK’s Reaction Engines has tested the vital precooler of its SABRE engine in airflow conditions replicating speeds of Mach 5.

During ground tests at the company’s purpose-designed facility at the Colorado Air and Space Port, the SABRE precooler successfully dealt with airflow temperatures in excess of 1,000°C in less than 1/20th of a second. In April, Reaction announced that replicated airflows of Mach 3.3 had been achieved as part of the ongoing HTX testing programme in Colorado, but that corresponded to temperatures of just 420°C.

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The latest test therefore marks a significant leap forward for the SABRE programme and Reaction’s aspirations of hypersonic flight. Mach 5 is more than 50 per cent faster than the SR-71 Blackbird – the fastest-ever jet-powered aircraft – and more than double the cruising speed of Concorde.

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