Published Friday, 10 November, 2006 at 10:57 AM
Minister for State Development, Employment and Industrial Relations
The Honourable John Mickel
INTERNATIONAL INVESTORS SCRAMBLING FOR QLD’S SCRAMJET TECHNOLOGY
Queensland’s world-leading Scramjet expertise has attracted international attention – and tens of million of dollars in R&D funding.
Minister for State Development John Mickel today congratulated staff from The University of Queensland’s Centre for Hypersonics, and its partner Boeing for their successful Scramjet efforts to date.
He said those efforts contributed to the signing of a US$54 million project agreement between the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) and the United States Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) in Canberra today.
“UQ’s Centre for Hypersonics was the first in the world to successfully launch a Scramjet back in 2002 and is still a global frontrunner in developing this cutting-edge technology, which has the potential to revolutionise powered flight in the 21st Century,” Mr Mickel said.
“The State Government saw the enormous potential of UQ’s vital aerospace research and we had the foresight to invest more than $4 million in the HyShot Flight Program since 2004, including support to establish the necessary infrastructure.
“This initial seed funding is now paying big dividends for Queensland, paving the way for UQ and its partners to attract the substantial international investment that they have.
“UQ’s talented researchers and partner Boeing should be congratulated for taking the HyShot program to such great heights, and the DSTO for securing the support of international collaborators to complete 10 Scramjet launches.”
Scramjets – supersonic combustion ramjets – work by harnessing the enormous air pressure generated at supersonic speeds to rapidly suck in large amounts of oxygen, which mixes with hydrogen fuel to generate a huge amount of energy.
Scramjets could potentially travel at between 8 and 10 times the speed of sound, emitting only water as a by-product of the combustion process.
Mr Mickel said in 2002 the Queensland Government provided $2.2 million from its then Smart State Research Facilities Fund to enhance the Centre for Hypersonics’ flight test capabilities, including rocket and heat shield testing facilities and a specialised high-speed wind tunnel.
The State Government granted the Centre a further $2 million from the Innovation Projects Fund in April 2006 to develop a prototype from advanced designs and conduct three test flights at speeds of 8000 kilometres an hour.
“The HyShot program represents the first major investment in Queensland by the DSTO and we expect to be able to leverage other aerospace opportunities for the Smart State, including unmanned aerial vehicles,” Mr Mickel said.
“The fact that the DSTO and United States have sought out our Smart State expertise is yet another acknowledgement of Queensland’s place as the emerging centre of Australia’s aerospace industry.
“R&D for UQ’s HyShot Flight Program will continue right here in Queensland. The multi-million investment signed today is expected to bring even more leading edge aerospace research to Queensland, including the employment of up to 50 researchers.”
Media contact: Chris Brown 3224 7349 or Elouise Campion 3224 6784.
10 November, 2006
Minister for State Development John Mickel today congratulated staff from The University of Queensland’s Centre for Hypersonics, and its partner Boeing for their successful Scramjet efforts to date.
He said those efforts contributed to the signing of a US$54 million project agreement between the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) and the United States Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) in Canberra today.
“UQ’s Centre for Hypersonics was the first in the world to successfully launch a Scramjet back in 2002 and is still a global frontrunner in developing this cutting-edge technology, which has the potential to revolutionise powered flight in the 21st Century,” Mr Mickel said.
“The State Government saw the enormous potential of UQ’s vital aerospace research and we had the foresight to invest more than $4 million in the HyShot Flight Program since 2004, including support to establish the necessary infrastructure.
“This initial seed funding is now paying big dividends for Queensland, paving the way for UQ and its partners to attract the substantial international investment that they have.
“UQ’s talented researchers and partner Boeing should be congratulated for taking the HyShot program to such great heights, and the DSTO for securing the support of international collaborators to complete 10 Scramjet launches.”
Scramjets – supersonic combustion ramjets – work by harnessing the enormous air pressure generated at supersonic speeds to rapidly suck in large amounts of oxygen, which mixes with hydrogen fuel to generate a huge amount of energy.
Scramjets could potentially travel at between 8 and 10 times the speed of sound, emitting only water as a by-product of the combustion process.
Mr Mickel said in 2002 the Queensland Government provided $2.2 million from its then Smart State Research Facilities Fund to enhance the Centre for Hypersonics’ flight test capabilities, including rocket and heat shield testing facilities and a specialised high-speed wind tunnel.
The State Government granted the Centre a further $2 million from the Innovation Projects Fund in April 2006 to develop a prototype from advanced designs and conduct three test flights at speeds of 8000 kilometres an hour.
“The HyShot program represents the first major investment in Queensland by the DSTO and we expect to be able to leverage other aerospace opportunities for the Smart State, including unmanned aerial vehicles,” Mr Mickel said.
“The fact that the DSTO and United States have sought out our Smart State expertise is yet another acknowledgement of Queensland’s place as the emerging centre of Australia’s aerospace industry.
“R&D for UQ’s HyShot Flight Program will continue right here in Queensland. The multi-million investment signed today is expected to bring even more leading edge aerospace research to Queensland, including the employment of up to 50 researchers.”
Media contact: Chris Brown 3224 7349 or Elouise Campion 3224 6784.
10 November, 2006