Was Reaction Engines A UK Black Project?

What I find interesting though is the timescales involved, here we are in 2019 with the project poised to go into flight tests, more or less bang on when the UK Government advisers said it would back in the 1980s. Hopefully then, if this is a black project that has been slowly worked on for thirty years, we won't have to wait much longer before it begins to serve humanity and bring space just that little bit closer.

Was Reaction Engines A UK Black Project?

This was a very interesting read for me. It tries to tie a lot of things together. SABRE, HOTOL, Rocketdyne, Aurora, UFO's, cryogenic fuel-powered successor to the SR-71 Blackbird, the dreaded black triangles and something green maybe.

I don't think Reaction Engines has been a black project. Sure, they are at the forefront of some step-change technology, but their work has been pretty much open, including their financial income and support from the UK and others, with BAE Systens seemingly the only buy-in.

Clearly the recent past is set on turning some of the technology into reality with the opening of facilities in the US and elsewhere in the UK, and the recent collaboration with the UK MOD announced.

Pretty White for a Black project line I think..Seeing they are building new Labs in England in full view.

I watched an eye opening documentary on the BBC years ago. I found it on YouTube, link below.

To sum up what I remember, the three geniuses behind the project did get some UK funding in the 80s. For some reason the UK gov decided to stop funding the project, so these three guys decided to try to get funding privately. The UK government didn't want to fund the project, but also didn't want anyone else getting it, so they classified it and prevented the guys from working on their own project for something like 30 years. I find this genuinely disgusting and insanely stupid.

a reply to: LookingAtMars

Very informative article.
I remember years ago I read about Mr Bond and his HOTOL project.
I remember thinking how unfair it is that government can classify and(nearly) stop a private company/inventor from continuing what could be something which would have advanced our space travel capabilities.

Looking back,it makes sense that the classified tech was perhaps used in secret in projects such as the aurora and maybe black triangle craft.

I have often thought that "black projects"are "black" not just to hide the technology within,but to hide the funding for such projects-
If the funding is hidden because a project is "black",then you can create funds through any manner of illegal ways,and this can be hidden,legally-because it is part of a classified government operation.

(Think contras-the overthrowing of the sandanistas was the aim,but the classified "black ops" part was the funding of the project through the smuggling of massive amounts of coc aine in order to buy the weaponry required to overthrow the communist regime of nicaragua.)

If governments need funding,they will commit crime under the protection of "classified due to national security."

Hi Guys and Girls,

If I remember this correctly the RB545 which were a Rolls Royce project disappeared never to be seen again.

Mr Bond is working on some great tech with alot of buy in. The RB545 maybe dead in a warehouse but it bother is hopefully alive and well.

RAB

a reply to: Silcone Synapse

You mean the Aurora and black triangle craft that don't exist?

Hi Guys and Girls,

So RR wish to put the pre-cooler onto a EJ200:

Linkage:

www.flightglobal.com...

This could get interesting very soon!

RAB

Be good if it was a bolt on modular section.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Are we sure there was no large black lighter than air craft back in the day?

Like Hudson Valley or St Clair

a reply to: hawkguy

Absolutely sure? Of course not. A reasonable degree of certainty? Yes.