Beating the Concorde - London to New York in 1 hour?

London: If every thing goes as per plan, aviation giant Airbus is all set to change the way we travel across seas.

Airbus has won a patent for a new type of aircraft that would travel at four times the speed of sound. Called the 'ultra-rapid air vehicle', the new flying machine will take passenger from London to New York in just one hour.

The earlier record for the fastest trans-Atlantic crossing was held by the Concorde aircraft that was operated by British Airways and Air France - grounded in 2003 after a crash in Paris three years earlier. The supersonic passenger jet travelled the distance in 3.5 hours.

In comparison, the Airbus A380 takes about 7.5 hours to fly between the two cities.

Technology at play

As per reports, the 'ultra-rapid air vehicle' will manage the impossible by using three different types of engines while in flight.

The aircraft will take-off like a space shuttle using a rocket motor and turbojet. Before breaking the sound barrier, the turbo jet will shut and retreat into the belly of the aircraft and the plane will go past the sound barrier powered by the rocket motor.

At the cruising altitude – 60,000 feet – the ramjets will take over and push the aircraft to its top speed of Mach 4.5.