A revolutionary British-led hypersonic aviation programme could one day reduce a journey from the UK to Australia from almost a full day to just three hours. The project, named INVICTUS, is a €7million (£5.9million) initiative funded by the European Space Agency (ESA) to build a reusable test aircraft capable of reaching Mach 5 – five times the speed of sound, around 3,800 mph. That would make it roughly 2,500 mph faster than Concorde.
INVICTUS design and capabilities
Unlike traditional rockets that launch vertically, INVICTUS is designed to take off horizontally from a standard airport runway like a conventional commercial jet. Once airborne, the aircraft will climb to extreme altitudes beyond 82,000 feet (25km) to test sustained hypersonic flight near the edge of the atmosphere. To avoid melting at Mach 5, the jet uses a hydrogen-fuelled cooling system that chills superheated incoming air in a fraction of a second before it enters the engine.
Timeline and testing plans
The programme is currently in its concept and preliminary design phase, with Spaceport Cornwall in Newquay and Machrihanish in Scotland shortlisted as potential UK operational sites for flight test campaigns. The project aims to build and fly a Mach 5-capable experimental demonstrator by early 2031. The first INVICTUS aircraft will be an uncrewed test jet used to trial new engines, heat-shielding materials and self-flying control systems in real flight conditions. If those tests succeed, the technology could pave the way for a new generation of commercial passenger jets.
Industry impact and future prospects
Ski travel expert Alex Dyer, Managing Director at Ski Vertigo, said: “Taking most of a day out of the journey would reduce connection stress and make shorter Australia holidays feel more realistic. But travellers should see three hours as a long-term possibility, because a successful test platform is still several stages away from a certified aircraft with an airline, timetable and fare.”
The three-hour London-to-Sydney projection builds on earlier European passenger-aircraft research under the LAPCAT project, which modelled high-speed flights between Europe and Australia taking between two and four hours. Meanwhile, a direct one-leg flight between London and Sydney is only a couple of years away. Qantas is set to launch its long-awaited Project Sunrise in October 2027, featuring nonstop flights aboard custom Airbus A350-1000ULR aircraft configured with 238 seats. Cutting up to four hours off current stopover itineraries, the 22-hour non-stop journey will become the world's longest scheduled commercial flight, with tickets slated to go on sale in February 2027.
