The incredible plane faster than the speed of sound slashing travel time to US by hours

A hypersonic airliner planned to be faster than the speed of sound could in the future see flight times between the UK and the US dramatically reduced. In fact, the London-New York times could be set at a mere 45 minutes with this new aircraft, that is set to revolutionise transatlantic travel. It has been over 20 years since Concorde took flight. Then, a typical London- flight aboard the plane would take just under three and a half hours.

But thanks to the A-HyM Hypersonic Air Master, air travel could be transformed with much shorter flight times by flying at Mach 7.3-over 5,600 mph (9,000 kph). This revolutionary new aircraft can hold up to 170 passengers. According to Oscar Vinals, the Spanish designer of the A-HyM, the new airliner would cruise at an altitude of a staggering 30,000 metres, which is far above conventional jets.

By using advanced heat-resistant materials like titanium and carbon fibre that can withstand temperatures up to 1,000C.

The new plane's innovative Sonic Boom Mitigation System also aims to reduce disruptive noise when breaking the sound barrier.

This will help allow both supersonic-and even hypersonic-flights to land without disturbing communities below, a big reason why Concorde previously stopped flying.

"This aircraft concept would allow its users not only to experience a unique flight at dizzying speeds in excellent conditions, but it would also allow them to 'master' time, because a trip, for example, from London to Los Angeles would only take an hour and a half, from boarding at Heathrow international airport to disembarking at LAX (Los Angeles International Airport)," explained Vinals.

The aircraft is set to blend turbojet, oblique detonation technologies and ramjet for both speed and eco-friendliness and will be powered by a next-generation hydrogen-fuelled combined-cycle engine.

Inside and the innovation doesn't end there as passengers would enjoy comfortable and spacious cabins.

Passengers will also be able to enjoy advanced entertainment systems, all designed to handle the unique conditions of hypersonic flight.

The A-HyM will illustrate how rapid breakthroughs in propulsion systems, materials science and aerodynamics are making the prospect of ultra-fast and sustainable global travel increasingly plausible despite only being a concept at this stage.

A plane is classed as having reached "supersonic" speeds once it passes Mach 1 with the Boom XB-1 being the first civil supersonic jet made in the US to break the sound barrier.

However, super-fast air travel proved quite difficult to get up and running from a business perspective as the difficulties of smashing through the sound barrier, alongside the loud bang which happens when planes do so, saw many plans shelved.

While sonic booms and loud noises associated with supersonic flights became a major factor in the Concorde's retirement, they were not the only factor.

Complex issues with several contributing factors were also at play, including safety concerns, high operating costs and the limitations of supersonic travel.