By Sharon Akinyi

Not even the sky is the limit for the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) team recently presented with the prestigious von Karman Award for collaborating on the HIFiRE (Hypersonic International Flight Research Experimentation) program.

Jointly established by DSTO and the US Air Force Research Laboratory in 2006, the HIFiRE program aims to advance hypersonic flight - flight through the atmosphere at speeds more than five times the speed of sound.

DSTO scientist Dr Allan Paull, who helped design the HIFiRE program, accepted the award along with representatives of the program's major partners, Doug Dolvin (US Air Force Research Laboratory), Dr Michael Smart (University of Queensland) and Dr Kevin Bowcutt (Boeing Research and Technology, USA).

Formally known as the von Karman Award for International Cooperation in Aeronautics, and presented by the International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences, the award acknowledges programs that achieve substantial advancements and exceptional international collaboration in the field of aeronautics.

"HIFiRE is a flight program that tests the fundamental physics underlying flight and propulsion at hypersonic speeds," Allan explained.

"Hypersonics is one of the least understood areas of aeronautics, and the experiments performed as part of the HIFiRE program are designed to cornerstone many of the uncertainties in this area."

Flight experiments conducted under the HIFiRE program test key technologies and designs critical to achieving practical hypersonic flight.

"The results from the flights to date are exceptionally significant on a number of fronts. The knowledge gained is key to enabling future development of hypersonic technology," Allan said.

Advancements in hypersonic technology would dramatically transform high-speed flight (think London to Sydney in two hours) and provide more cost-effective access to outer space.

As well as aiding the wider community, developments in hypersonic technology will also have benefits for Defence.

"Defence will have an accurate understanding of the potential of hypersonic vehicles that will appear in the near future," Allan explained.

"Defence will be able to evaluate hypersonic concepts and platforms and be in a well-informed position when these platforms are put into service, putting Defence at the forefront of this technology."

He said the DSTO team had demonstrated that its technological ideas were sound, and possibly world-breaking, through successful flight testing.

"I get to work with the team to join the many pieces of the puzzle and come closer to achieving closure in this area, which is closer than most people realise.

"This award goes a long way to endorsing the approach adopted by the HIFiRE team in its communication and management.

"I am very proud of the success that the HIFiRE team has had. It has been a privilege to work with such a dedicated, robust and loyal team."

DSTO also won the von Karman Award in 2002 for its work with Canada on the F/A-18 structural test program.