🛫 New aircraft engine makes supersonic flight cheaper and more climate-friendly

🛫 New aircraft engine makes supersonic flight cheaper and more climate-friendly

The engine is designed to run on liquid natural gas which costs one-tenth of traditional jet fuel and emits 30 percent less carbon dioxide.

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  • stro Mechanica has developed an engine that combines the advantages of both jet engine and turbofan engine in a single unit.
  • A smaller prototype has already achieved speeds of 3,240 kilometers per hour (Mach 3).
  • The engine is designed to run on liquid natural gas which costs one-tenth of traditional jet fuel and emits 30 percent less carbon dioxide.

New design with electric motors

Astro Mechanica, an aerospace company founded in 2021, has developed a new type of aircraft engine using electric technology from the automotive industry. The company has successfully completed the first test of its Gen3 engine, reports New Atlas.

The engine design separates the fan and compressor components and drives the compressor separately with high-performance electric motors. A turbogenerator produces electricity that powers the electric motors which in turn drive the compressor and turbofan. This enables variation of air compression for optimal efficiency at different speeds.

Three operating modes

The engine can operate in three different modes depending on flight speed. In the first mode, an electric motor drives the compressor without active combustion, suitable for ground operations and subsonic flight. The second mode activates turbojet combustion for supersonic speeds, while the third mode functions as a ramjet that can reach Mach 3 or higher.

Cheaper and better

A traditional aircraft engine used in the Boeing 737 MAX costs around 14 million dollars. Astro Mechanica's engine would cost significantly less to manufacture and maintain, partly because it has fewer moving parts, and partly because it can run on liquid natural gas.

If the Concorde had been equipped with this engine, its range would have increased by 61 percent.

The company plans to build an experimental aircraft equipped with four of its engines plus two other engines. The goal is to complete a non-stop supersonic flight from San Francisco to Tokyo.

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