The engineers at Destinus integrated a hydrogen afterburner with a turbojet engine. Afterburners increase thrust, enabling higher speeds. In the case of aircraft designed by Destinus, the goal is to achieve supersonic speeds initially, and ultimately hypersonic speeds, surpassing Mach 5.
In the flights on 24th May, the modified Jungfrau reached a speed of 250 km/h. However, the engineers are satisfied with the test results as they confirmed the functionality and efficiency of hydrogen-powered afterburners under real flight conditions.
Destinus plans to build hypersonic passenger aircraft. The current project involves using four turbojet engines of an unspecified type for propulsion. The intention is to eventually replace them with new hydrogen-powered engines. A prototype compressor for such an engine has been constructed.
The aircraft being designed by Destinus is expected to carry up to 200 passengers, with a range of 4,000 km. The designers anticipate that the commercial model will be available for sale no later than the mid-2030s.
Destinus has been conducting tests of the Jungfrau since 2021. Subsequently, they also began testing a larger model named Eiger. Currently, the company’s engineers are working on an even larger technology demonstrator that is capable of supersonic speeds. Its maiden flight is planned for 2024.
To learn more about tests, visit Destinus website.
