A joint US-Australian military research team successfully tested a hypersonic technology in the Australian desert

•    A two-hour flight from Sydney to London is a step closer to reality after the latest successful test Wednesday of hypersonic technology in the Australian desert.
•    A joint US-Australian military research team is running a series of 10 trials at the world's largest land testing range, Woomera in South Australia, and at Norway's Andoya Rocket Range.
•    Scientists have said hypersonic technology could cut travelling time from Sydney to London to as little as two hours for the 17,000-kilometre (19,540-mile) flight.
•    Hypersonic flight involves travelling at more than five times the speed of sound (Mach 5).
•    Scientists involved in the programme -- called Hypersonic International Flight Research Experimentation (HIFRE) -- are developing an engine that can fly at Mach 7
•    Each test builds on previous ones, with the latest used to measure heat on the outside of a vehicle in hypersonic flight, Smart said.
•    The next test, scheduled for 2017, would involve the scramjet engine separating from the rocket booster and flying on its own, he added.
•    The first test was conducted in 2009 with the project expected to be completed in 2018.