The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Royal Air Force (RAF) will invest in hypersonic propulsion, small satellites, and so-called flying wingmen and swarming drones. The R&D programs were announced in front of 40 air force chiefs and military commanders at the Air and Space Power Conference in London.
The two-year hypersonic propulsion contract is worth about £10 million ($12.5 million) to a team comprising BAE Systems, Reaction Engines, and Rolls-Royce. The focus will be on enabling technologies “for increased aircraft performance and capability,” according to an RAF statement. To date, Reaction Engines has been the UK leader in hypersonic propulsion with its Synergetic Air-Breathing Rocket (Sabre). But the company’s main aim has been to provide power for a satellite-launching spaceplane.
www.ainonline.com, July 19, 2019, 10:30 AM
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