Bloodhound completes ballistics test

During its fastest runs, the Bloodhound's wheels will be spinning at 10,200rpm, the equivalent of 170 rotations per second. One of the dangers is the possibility of the wheels throwing up hidden stones, which could hit the car's bodywork at breakneck speeds.

Morgan Advanced Technologies, one of the technical partners on the project, has developed composite ballistic panels containing millions of woven glass fibres that will be fitted to the cockpit with the hope of protecting driver Andy Green.

As part of testing procedures, the panel was subjected to a 2000mph ballistics test.

Other technical partners include Jaguar whose supercharged V8 will be used to power the fuel pump for the Bloodhound’s jet engine. The partnership with Jaguar was announced in November last year at the LA car show and is part of a wider co-operation between the two which includes technical input, sponsorship and marketing assistance.

Bloodhound will be part-powered by a Eurojet EJ200 jet engine, which powers the Eurofighter Typhoon. Once up to speed, driver Andy Green will fire up rockets for additional power, creating estimated peak thrust of 77,500bhp. The Jaguar V8 – which replaces the Cosworth Formula 1 engine originally used on test beds – will need to pump rocket fuel at a rate of 40 litres per second.

Bloodhound will begin testing later this year, with the goal to eclipse the current record of 1227.98kph by passing 1287.5kph by end-2015. If that is successful, the team will then aim to break the 1600kph barrier in 2016.

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