Hypersonic Aircraft Invictus Aims for Three-Hour Flights to Australia

A new hypersonic aircraft concept, dubbed Invictus, is under development with the aim of cutting the journey from the UK to Australia to just three hours. This ambitious project, supported by the European Space Agency (ESA), envisions a space plane capable of traveling at speeds exceeding Mach 5, or more than five times the speed of sound.

If successful, Invictus could represent a significant advancement in long-haul air travel, potentially reviving the era of supersonic passenger flights that ended with the retirement of Concorde in 2003. While Concorde significantly reduced travel times, flights to Australia still took approximately 17 hours and required refuelling stops.

The Invictus aircraft is designed to take off from a conventional runway and ascend to approximately 80,000 feet, near the edge of Earth's atmosphere. From this altitude, it would accelerate to hypersonic speeds to traverse long distances.

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Currently, Invictus remains in the design phase, with the first development stage anticipated for completion later this year. Small-scale engine testing is scheduled to commence in 2027, with further trials planned before the end of the decade. The aircraft's initial flight is projected for 2034, operating at a reduced speed, followed by full hypersonic testing by 2036.

Initially, Invictus is intended for satellite deployment into space. However, the project's proponents suggest that the validated technologies could eventually be applied to a new generation of ultra-fast commercial passenger flights. James Cornish, space business development manager at Frazer-Nash, the project's prime contractor, stated that the technologies proven by Invictus "could ultimately underpin much faster long-haul travel in future civil platforms."

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In parallel with the Invictus development, Qantas is preparing to launch direct flights between London Heathrow and Sydney starting in October 2027. These new services, part of what is known as 'Project Sunrise,' will utilize specially adapted Airbus A350 aircraft equipped with extended fuel tanks. The journey time is expected to be approximately 18 hours and 7 minutes, a significant reduction from current fastest direct flights which average around 21 hours and 35 minutes with a stopover.