SABRE jet-cum-rocket engine

[lajoswinkler]

http://arstechnica.co.uk/science/2016/07/reaction-engines-moves-ahead-with-single-stage-to-orbit-sabre-demo-engine/

 

Am I the only person here who is skeptical of this? IDK, seems to me SpaceX is doing it better.

[Nibb31]

There's already a thread on it.

 

[Nuke]

the article really just says they got funding. its also the first time they mentioned how their de-icing system worked.

[Shania_L]

You have to separate Skylon from SABRE. Reaction Engines is an engine company, SABRE is the product, Skylon is the advertising around that product.

In order to drum up interest and to enable those with a lack of imagination to visualise what a SABRE could be used for Reaction Engines produced a concept vehicle design (Skylon) to visualise this for potential investors and/or media etc.

I have full confidence that SABRE will become a 'thing' but as for Skylon? that is much more doubtful. BAE Systems (massive industrial/military company) has a 20% share in Reaction Engines. BAE has its beady little eyes on SABRE for military aircraft, there is a concept for a globe trotting drone dispenser powered by a SABRE. Using the SABRE to get somewhere fast, airdropping a drone swarm and then leaving again.

The US military has also been in discussion with Reaction Engines, I do not recall if any deal was made but you can be sure if there wasn't then the US will be developing a 'totally not copy' engine for their own use.

Any SSTO for commercial space access would be designed and built most likely by an existing aircraft designer, Airbus, Boeing etc and they would buy SABREs from Reaction Engines just like they buy Rolls Royce jet engines currently.

[wumpus]

In other words BAE is building something because they think its cool and they think the British Government will pay them to do it.  Because I can't really imagining that the RAF needs to drop that many droneswarms in places they can't easily get wildly closer (just anchor a ship nearby).  Missiles do everything a Scanlon (or any other SABRE powered-vehicle) can, and at much lower initial price.

I can't even imagine the USAF needing to drop that many drones.  They wouldn't need it for Afghanistan (they're already there), similar for Iraq, and if they needed to check out what was going on in Turkey (such as right now), they could have used those bases.  They usually have some sort of warning, but if not they have plenty of big missiles.

I suspect there may be a political difference between a rocket and a mach 6 plane, but without a huge explosion it will be a hard sell.