Fly London to New York in 20 MINUTES: Rocket-powered concept plane travels 10 times faster than Concorde

Travelling across the Atlantic could become a lot easier if this "Antipode" jet concept becomes a reality.
Created by Canadian engineer Charles Bombadier, the ambitious concept uses rocket engines to travel at speeds of 20,000kmh (12,430mph). That means you could circumnavigate the entire planet in the time it takes to watch a footy match.


In theory, it could carry up to 10 passengers from London to New York in just 20 minutes. The speeds at which it would travel are twelve times faster than those reached by Concorde.

The Skreemr jet was Bombadier's previous concept plane (Photo: charlesbombardier.com)

"I wanted to create an aircraft concept capable of reaching its antipode, or diametrical opposite, as fast as possible," Bombardier said.
The engineer works at ImaginActiv and has previously designed the Skreemr concept plane which he revealed in October last year.


The Antipode jet would be launched by a magnetic field pushing it along two conductive railings. Once airborne, liquid-oxygen or kerosene rockets would fire, launching the plane further into the sky and breaking the sound barrier.
From there, scramjet engines would kick in to propel the jet to speeds over ten times the speed of sound .

According to the designs, special nozzles in the nose and wings would be used to channel air through the aircraft for cooling purposes.
"The leading edge of the wings of the aircraft could also be fitted with linear nozzles so that air could flow out of them too. That way, all leading edge surfaces could be cooled," said Bombadier.

The designers estimate that the plane could land or take off from any 6,000 foot runway.
Sadly, it's just a concept at the moment so we may have to wait a few years for even a prototype to appear. And even then, it's not likely to be a cheap way to travel.