The American company Venus Aerospace, based in Texas, has shared key updates on the development of its hypersonic aircraft, particularly its innovative detonation ramjet engines.
According to The Independent, this aircraft promises an unprecedented speed of travel that far surpasses even the legendary Concorde.
The new engine is designed to produce nearly 9 kN of thrust, which might seem modest at first, but it represents an early step towards developing much larger engines of this type. The engine, known as the VDR2 (Venus Detonation Ramjet), is intended to power smaller aircraft such as drones and light planes.
With the VDR2, these aircraft will be able to reach greater distances at higher altitudes and incredible speeds. The engine combines the relatively high thrust of a rotating detonation motor with the efficiency of ramjet engines, allowing the aircraft to reach speeds of up to Mach 6—about 6,000 km/h, though the exact figure depends on altitude and local conditions, including the speed of sound.
During a single flight, aircraft equipped with this engine could cover up to 8,000 km. Unlike other experimental engines of this type, the VDR2 is designed to be quickly reusable, similar to a conventional jet engine. The developers claim that this technology brings the economics of hypersonic flights closer to reality.
