Destinus, the European start-up developing a hydrogen-powered hypersonic aircraft, is preparing to start flight tests with a subscale propulsion system prototype on its Jungfrau technology demonstrator in February. The next phase of work will build on recently completed tests using an afterburner it has integrated with an off-the-shelf turbojet engine as part of a long-term goal to produce an aircraft that would operate on intercontinental flights at speeds exceeding Mach 5.
In a strategic shift, Destinus has now resolved to use its afterburner technology with a turbofan produced by an existing aircraft engine maker for early cargo-carrying examples of its planned aircraft. Senior development manager Martina Löfqvist explained to FutureFlight that these early production aircraft will require four as-yet-unspecified turbofans and that “for bigger passenger-carrying vehicles, we may still have to consider developing an engine ourselves.”
