Japan Plans Test of 'New Concorde'

Steve Nixon writes "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."

Comments

Seen it already

[Anonymous Coward]

This was seen in the skies over Tokyo in the 1960s. At least the beak is the same.

Yeah, but is it robot controlled?

[N8F8]

It ain't cool unless it got a robot.

This is Japan we're talking about

[BlackCobra43]

The entire PLANE is probably a robot. With superfluous robot crew and robot stewardesses with creepy hands.

Re:This is Japan we're talking about

[Drooling Iguana]

No, no, the plane turns into a robot.

Re:Our technical peak was the 60's?

[Ced_Ex]

When was the last time we sent someone to the moon? The 60's. And the last time a supersonic plane was developed? The 60's. Is it just money? Why else did we begin to achieve notable success in aerospace in the 60's, and then backslide to where we are now? By 2020 we hope to be back where we were in the 60's. Great.

I believe the drop in development seems to be curiously related to the drop in the use of slide-rulers and the subsequent usage of electronic calculators.

Quick, someone smart research this and back me up.

Re:Not really very impressive.

[pohl]

The Concorde carried 100 passengers at Mach 2, or 50 passengers per Mach...this new plane will do three times the number of passengers-per-Mach as the Concorde, which works out to a rate of advancement of 3.75 passengers-per-mach-per-year.

I just wrote that because I thought passengers-per-Mach was an amusing metric.

Re:Arrow shaped, hmm

[twifosp]

Cool but is it tested for aerodynamics?

Nope, they are just going to wing it. According to the article, there aren't even any engineers on the project. Only anime artists who are concerned with making the shape "as arrow as possible".