A scale model of a Japanese supersonic jetliner exploded shortly after it was launched yesterday on the back of a booster rocket and crashed into the central Australian desert, witnesses said.
The disastrous end to the first test of Japan's National Experimental Supersonic Transport, or NEXST, came just seconds after its takeoff from the Woomera rocket testing range.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Nobody was injured in the crash as both the rocket and the model plane were unmanned.
The Japanese government-funded project aims to build a plane that would fly at twice the speed of sound, with the supersonic boom reduced to the rumble of a Boeing 747.
It would fly twice the distance of the Concorde and seat three times the passengers.
After the rocket climbed to about 100m, it turned over and began spiraling erratically through the air before slamming into the ground and exploding, witnesses at the test site said.
The cause of the crash was not immediately known.
The Japanese team responsible for the test did not immediately comment but were expected to give a press conference sometime later.
The launch had been postponed several times because the wind was too strong in the desert.
The 11m model was to have ridden piggyback on the booster rocket to a height of 20km at a speed of 2,450kph.
After performing a barrel roll, the booster was supposed to release the model, which would glide to earth in a 14-minute flight to test its automatic flight and control systems.
It was not immediately clear what effect the crash would have on a further three tests planned for later this year to test the model's aerodynamics, which were developed through computer simulations seeking to cut the noise of supersonic flight in half.
In phase two of the US$200 million project, 20 tests under powered flight have been set to begin in late 2005.
The project is being run by Japan's government-run National Aerospace Laboratory.
Boeing Co, which is developing its own "Sonic Cruiser" -- designed to fly at just under the speed of sound -- was eagerly awaiting the results of the Japanese project.
Wade Cornelius, Boeing's vice president for global strategy said a successful test could lead to some cooperation between Boeing and the Japanese team.
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to
RSS