Rocket-based combined cycle

The RBCC, or Rocket-Based Combined Cycle propulsion system, is one of the two types of propulsion systems that may be tested in the Boeing X-43 experimental aircraft. The RBCC, or strutjet as it is sometimes called, is a combination propulsion system that consists of a ramjet, scramjet, and ducted rocket, where all three systems use a shared flow path.

It has been speculated that aerospace engineer Richard Foster originally introduced the term RBCC into the aerospace nomenclature.

A TBCC, or Turbine Based Combined Cycle propulsion system, is a turbine engine combined with a ramjet and scramjet.

A TRCC, or Turbo Rocket Combined Cycle propulsion system, is another combination propulsion system that combines an afterburning turbine engine with a RBCC propulsion system.

See also

• air-augmented rocket
• SABRE (Synergistic Air Breathing Rocket Engine) a pre-cooled air-breathing rocket/RAM-jet engine based on General Dynamics' exploration of LACE concepts (Liquid Air Cycle Engine) developed by Reaction Engines, UK, scheduled for first delivery 2019.

External links

• Performance Evaluation of the NASA GTX RBCC Flowpath - Glenn Research Center - NASA
• Parametric Study Conducted of Rocket-Based, Combined-Cycle Nozzles - Glenn Research Center - NASA
• Aerojet Successfully Tests RBCC Single Thruster, Demonstrating Tri-Fluid Rocket Injector Capabilities - SpaceRef
• Hypersonic inlet studies for a small-scale rocket-based combined-cycle engine, Journal of propulsion and power, 2007, vol. 23, no6, pp. 1160–1167, AIAA.
• Rocket-Based Combined-Cycle Engine (RBCC): Ramrocket, University of Toronto, High-Speed Vehicle Propulsion Systems Group.