Bloodhound Supersonic Car Fires Up Eurofighter Engine
The Bloodhound supersonic car has been fired up for the first time - and worked a treat.
Engineers turned over the vehicle's Eurofighter jet engine in a "tie-down" test at Cornwall's Newquay airfield on Friday.
It worked flawlessly, sending a big orange flame out of the rear nozzle.
The intention is for the car to begin some "slow-speed" running - about 200mph (320km/h) - at the end of next month.
The team had been concerned that the Rolls-Royce EJ200 power unit might have some operational difficulties being in a car as opposed to sitting in a fighter aircraft.
But when driver Andy Green flicked the switches in his cockpit, the engine lit up and performed exactly to its specification.
It was proof also that all the car's electronic systems, its computers, and software were working as designed.
"It's blown us away, frankly," Wing Commander Green told BBC News.
"It's given us huge confidence going forward. We now know the engine has no limits just because it's in a car. It is an EJ200 with the full performance envelope available to us, under all conditions, from stationary onwards."
October's slow-speed running should have paved the way for an attempt on the world land speed record in 2018, but it looks now as though the project will have to slip another year.
Bloodhound SSC will race in South Africa on a specially prepared, dried-out lake-bed, using both the jet engine and a rocket motor.
The aim is to lift the current record of 763mph (1,228km/h) to 800mph (1,288km/h), and then eventually to take it above 1,000mph (1,610km/h).
However, the conditions at Hakskeen Pan in Northern Cape are really only suitable for running in the period from July to November - and getting the car fully prepared to meet this window in 2018 is now seen as unachievable.
In part, this is because there are still technical challenges to do with Bloodhound's rocket motor.
This is coming from the Norwegian aerospace company Nammo, and the development work must fit in around the firm's commercial business, which has extended the timeline.
But the Bloodhound project also has to function within its privately generated budget, and although some big sponsorship deals have been signed recently, engineering can only proceed at the rate cash comes into the venture.
The decision has therefore been made to wait until 2019 to begin the assault on the land speed record.
Nonetheless, the team hopes Friday's static test, and the initial runs set for 26 October, will be visible proof that Bloodhound is in good shape.
Andy Green said: "Today has been a demonstration that with just a little bit of resource in place we've delivered exactly what we said we would, when we said we would.
"And based on what I've seen today from the EJ200, we are going to over-deliver - 26 October won't be just a show of a fast car, it will be a spectacular show of a car that's going to astonish people."
Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos
Uncovering The Tactics: How Hackers Exploit Developing Countries In Ransomware Testing
In recent years, there has been a concerning rise in hackers using developing countries as testing grounds for ransomwar... Read more
From Silicon Valley To Down Under: Musk's Defense Of Public Interest In The Digital Era
In recent headlines, tech titan Elon Musk has once again captured global attention, this time for his intervention in an... Read more
The Global Semiconductor Landscape: Navigating Through Market Shifts Post Samsung's Earnings Triumph
In the first quarter of 2024, Samsung Electronics announced a staggering 931% surge in operating profits, reaching 6.6 t... Read more
The Balancing Act: Google's Paywalled AI And The Quest For Digital Equity
In an era where artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer the stuff of science fiction but a daily utility, Google's lat... Read more
The Meteoric Rise Of Anthropic: Valuation And The Future Of AI
In an era where artificial intelligence (AI) is not just a buzzword but a cornerstone of technological advancement, Amaz... Read more
The Future Of Sports Strategy: Navigating The AI Revolution
In the fast-evolving world of competitive sports, the introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been nothing shor... Read more