Australian Air Breathing Propulsion Research for Hypersonic, Beamed Energy-Propelled Vehicles

A three year laser-propelled vehicle analysis and design investigation has been begun in June, 2009 by Faculty and graduate students at the University of Adelaide under a Grant/Cooperative Agreement Award to the University of Adelaide by the Asian Office of Aerospace Research and Development (AOARD). The major objectives of this investigation are: (a) development of hypersonic, air breathing 'lightcraft' with innovative air inlets that enable acceptable airflow capture and combustion, and acceptable cowl-lip heating rates during hot, high-speed, high angle-of-attack hypersonic flight; (b) yest of the most promising lightcraft and inlet design in the high power laser beam that is part of the shock tunnel facility at CTO Institute in Brazil; and (c) plan a series of laser guided and propelled flights that achieve supersonic or higher speed at me Woomera Test Facility (WTF) in South Australia-using the existing WTF launching and tracking facilities and sponsor-provided laser pointing and tracking and illumination systems.