The Hypersonics International Flight Research Experimentation project (HiFire) partially funded by the US military, involves the ANU, ADFA and the universities of Queensland and New South Wales. Their research produced the first scramjet flying at 8,000kph over the Woomera Testing Facility in 2002. Scramjets capable of 16,000kph plus are destined to power hypersonic missiles and edge-of-space bombers like Blackswift and Falcon which will revolutionize warfare by enabling the US to deliver "prompt global strikes" within 1-2 hours. Glider bombs and missiles would hurtle with unerring accuracy towards their targets and release massive amounts of kinetic energy, in addition to their actual explosive charge.

There is no reference to the military implications of this scramjet research in any of the University of Queensland's or the DSTO's (Defence Science Technology Organisation) media releases despite the acknowledgement that, "The most ambitious project in a $US459 billion defence spending bill is the Falcon....the cost of the vehicle has not been revealed but a spokesman for the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency said the first test flight was scheduled for next year." ("America pumps billions into space-age weapons", Sydney Morning Herald, November 15, 2007). The Australian government also is keeping a discrete silence over this research.

Australian scramjet research will be boosted by increased funding and by the appointment of Dr Russell Boyce of the University of New South Wales, at the Australian Defence Force Academy, to the DSTO Chair and Professorship in Hypersonics. "In November 2006 DSTO signed a $74 million HIFiRE Agreement with the United States Air Force that will comprise up to 10 hypersonic flight experiments planned for the Woomera Testing Facility over the next five years." (Minister for Defence Media Mail List, May 2, 2008).

The Australian Hypersonics Initiative is pushing ahead without adequate consideration of its profound military, societal, legal and international implications. Destabilisation will result leading to the development of counterforce strategies by countries feeling threatened by hypersonic pre-emptive strike, like China or Russia. The world will be less governed by collective security and one more prone to unilateralism and chaos.

Anyone who is a born again christian will tell you that time is running out.
It can be seen in the great increase in wars, earthquakes, famines and diseases that Jesus speaks about in Luke chpater 21 that will occur not long before His Second Coming.
There may not be time for star wars tech or conflicts.
The last great army the world will ever see will be a manpower army of 200 million soldiers out of the east, the far east I believe (the kings of the east. Click on it).
When they move, they will pour out in numbers of soldiers, on trucks, in tanks, in any kind of vehicles.
Australia needs to be ready to deal with a southern movement of this great manpower army...for it to come, for it to land and for it to move southwards.
I dont think we will see scram put to use.
An empty defence dept gun cupboard, with no guns in it for a citizens army, is just so dumb.
If you want to do something real good for Australia...pray for her. We arent ready for the endtimes by any means.

Dear Voltaire,

The "Arms Race," is governed by - Greed and power, and it follows therefore for "every action there is a reaction."

Humanity strives to create either for good or for evil and despite every catastrophe in the world, humanity will never learn from the past despite the fact that many inventions are created for the common good, there will always be those that will apply the invention
for destructive use.

Voltair,

It is not my usual practice to discuss military strategy or materiel on an Internet forum like OLO, for obvious reasons.

That said, the disclosed funding for the scramjet is hopelessly insufficient. It cost USD 200 million to develop the Gillete II shaving system. Westpac and IBM spent AUD 150 million dollars [1989-1992] with the view of building an AI sysem to run across five or six bank platforms:

The hand-picked team prodruced a conventional upgrade, to its IBD system from the 1970s. Likewise, the CBA will find the AUD 500 million will be at risk of descoping the project .

The CBA executive said they will keep a clsoe eye on things. I have had person expereince with AI and the last thing one wants with advanced development is having MD an IQ twenty-points, below the mean of team, directing it. Been there, seen that.

Something like the scram jet will take AUD 5-10 billion to develop, if it is at all possible on a full scale: I think it is.

UQ [on a pitence] and to a lesser extent NASA have made good progresson. Been there, seen that.

We need to be careful discussing Defence on Internet: Better to write to DFAT

Why do you feel we shouldnt speak about Defence on the internet Oliver?
Even the ADD has little respect for secrecy.
Everything they seem to build or buy gets written up in the media...e.g. most, if not all, new purchases, new munitions dumps, etc.
China already knows where to come to when they decide to move outwards.
ASIO let her spies grow into over 1,000 on Australian soil so says Chen Yonglin.
Mostly everything is out of the bag before the cement has set.

Gibo,

We should speak-out but through secure channels [DFAT]. The scramjet thing is harmless, it has been in the papers, and, if like jindalee, might a website. I was meaning, "loose lips sink ships".

Just saying the public domain has ears.