Japan plans test of 'new Concorde'

Quote Originally Posted by CNN
TOKYO, Japan (AP) -- Japan's space agency plans to launch an arrow-shaped airplane at twice the speed of sound high over the Australian outback as early as next month in a crucial test of the country's push to develop a supersonic successor to the retired Concorde.
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Japanese and French defense contractors and engineering companies, including Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. and Airbus parent European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co., agreed earlier this northern summer to split an annual research budget of about $1.84 million over the next three years to develop a faster-than-sound plane.
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Among the hurdles are two difficulties that plagued the Concorde -- jet-engine noise and high fuel consumption. Japan has already successfully tested an engine that can theoretically reach speeds of up to Mach 5.5, or more than five times the speed of sound.
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I am impatient to see this. This new aircraft could reduce the flight time between Tokyo and Paris/London from 12h to only about 5h.