Supersonic Jet "The Antipode" Could Go from New York to Dubai in 22 Minutes
The Antipode claims surreal flight times.
A hypersonic private jet concept may take its extremely wealthy passengers from New York to Dubai in about the time it takes for the rest of us to watch an episode of Bob’s Burgers.
Created by Imaginactive and designer Charles Bombardier, the Antipode concept jet would reach speeds of Mach 24, or 18,414 miles per hour.
“I wanted to create an aircraft concept capable of reaching its antipode — or diametrical opposite — as fast as possible,” Bombardier told Forbes.
With rocket boosters attached to its wings, the Antipode would have enough thrust to reach 40,000 feet at Mach 5 before breaking off from the accelerators. Once separated, the aircraft’s onboard computer would ignite a supersonic combustion ramjet engine and accelerate to a top speed of Mach 24.
A nozzle at the front of the craft would let air flow through and create a counterflow of jet air, which would cause LPM, also known as Long Penetration Mode. That phenomenon would, in turn, reduce heat on the craft’s surface and temper the shock wave when the Antipode breaks the sound barrier.
If anyone ever builds the Antipode and makes it work, you could cross the Atlantic in the time it takes to boil and egg.
Bombardier previously created the concept design for the Skreemr commercial jet which, if ever built, would only glide across the skies at a Mach 10, or 7,673 mph. The market may have rejected supersonic travel for reasons of cost and efficiency in the 20th century, but engineers at least are still looking for ways to make international travel squeezed into an afternoon the standard.
In figures supplied by Bombardier, New York to London would take a surreal 11 minutes. Here’s the full rundown:
New York to London (3,459 miles) → 11 minutes
New York to Paris (3,625 miles) → 12 minutes
New York to Tokyo (6,737 miles) → 22 minutes
New York to Dubai (6,836 miles) → 22 minutes
New York to Shanghai (7,364 miles) → 24 minutes
New York to Hong Kong (8,040 miles) → 26 minutes
New York to Sydney (9,929 miles) → 32 minutes
Whether anyone ever actually decides to invest in building the design remains to be seen. For now you’ll have to settle for the planned AS2 “Son of Concorde” and its top speed of Mach 12.
