My old office mate Alan Paull is the guy running that project. A mutual friend of ours (Richard Morgan) is a professor at the University of Queensland. I was having dinner with Richard just a couple of days ago. I asked him about Alan's scramjet project and he told me that there was a problem with getting launch clearance from some agency within the Australian government (their FAA). He told me that they have two twin vehicles for doing this flight test. Alan told me a few years ago that this is NOT really a true scramjet but rather a supersonic combuster (Richard confirmed this the other day). A true scramjet would produce its own thrust.

Australians are very good at doing these sorts of projects, viz. low-ball aerospace projects based upon reapplying surplus or junk hardware. I have seen them achieve miracles producing working hardware that would cost ten times as much in America or Europe. This remarkable ability comes from an Outback mentality where they keep semi-derelict equipment (cars, tractors, pumps, etc.) running forever by constantly repairing and redesigning it with what ever junk is handy. Also the Australians have a first rate university system that's based upon the English model. Unfortunately Australian government policy is a frustration, i.e. dominated by socialists, Ludiite environmentalists and trade unionists. This results in the insane situation that Australia's brightest people get Ph.D's in mathematics, mechanical engineering and physics then find out they have zero employment options in Australia. They then emigrate to the United States (good for us bad for them).

Gary