Comment by belviewreview
17 hours ago
Interesting, but assuming they can get the engine to work as intended, the question still remains how the passenger jet would get up to Mach 5 so the engine can start working. A solid-fuel rocket booster that would then drop off?
It is a safe bet that the first applications will be missiles and there won't be any passengers to worry about.
Interns provide the guidance.
I may be wrong but I think a ramjet doesn't need Mach 5 to ignite, Mach 3 to 6 is just where it is most efficient at high altitudes.
E.g. early German experiments during WW2 based on the Lorin tube (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ren%C3%A9_Lorin) only had to get to 320 km/h to start working:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kronach_Lorin