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| Bloodhound 1,000mph car schedule slips | Bloodhound 1,000mph car schedule slips |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| By Jonathan Amos Science correspondent, BBC News | By Jonathan Amos Science correspondent, BBC News |
| The UK team building a car capable of driving beyond 1,000mph (1,610km/h) says the project is taking longer than anticipated to pull together. | The UK team building a car capable of driving beyond 1,000mph (1,610km/h) says the project is taking longer than anticipated to pull together. |
| The Bloodhound project expects now to roll out its vehicle in 2015, with the aim of breaking the current land speed record in the latter half of that year. | The Bloodhound project expects now to roll out its vehicle in 2015, with the aim of breaking the current land speed record in the latter half of that year. |
| It is a slip of about 12 months on the present schedule. | It is a slip of about 12 months on the present schedule. |
| Driver Andy Green, the only man ever to take a car through the sound barrier, says it is simply more realistic. | Driver Andy Green, the only man ever to take a car through the sound barrier, says it is simply more realistic. |
| "When you look at the timescale that it took to put the Eurofighter together, which by the way at ground level will not go 1,000mph - it took them twice as long with thousands of people and a budget of billions," the RAF Wg Cdr told BBC News. | "When you look at the timescale that it took to put the Eurofighter together, which by the way at ground level will not go 1,000mph - it took them twice as long with thousands of people and a budget of billions," the RAF Wg Cdr told BBC News. |
| "By comparison, we are using the tiniest fraction of that money and a core engineering team of just 34 people." | "By comparison, we are using the tiniest fraction of that money and a core engineering team of just 34 people." |
| Announced in 2008, Bloodhound was originally envisaged to be running in 2011/12. But just finding an aerodynamic shape that would keep the car stable on the ground took two years. The detailed design had to wait until that solution was found. | Announced in 2008, Bloodhound was originally envisaged to be running in 2011/12. But just finding an aerodynamic shape that would keep the car stable on the ground took two years. The detailed design had to wait until that solution was found. |
| Drawings for most of car have now been released to industry, and many components are starting to arrive at the project's new HQ for assembly. | |
| "It's not that anything has gone wrong; it's just that some things have been harder than we thought," explained chief engineer Mark Chapman. | |
| "The lower structure, for example, we initially thought would take us six-to-eight weeks to put together. It took us five months." | |
| On Wednesday, the Science Minister David Willetts formally opened the Avonmouth, Bristol, technical facility, and ceremonially tightened a bolt linking the carbon-fibre cockpit to the lower-chassis. | On Wednesday, the Science Minister David Willetts formally opened the Avonmouth, Bristol, technical facility, and ceremonially tightened a bolt linking the carbon-fibre cockpit to the lower-chassis. |
| He also announced a further £1m for the education initiative associated with Bloodhound. Currently, more than 5,450 schools are using curriculum resource materials based on the science of a supersonic car. | He also announced a further £1m for the education initiative associated with Bloodhound. Currently, more than 5,450 schools are using curriculum resource materials based on the science of a supersonic car. |
| "In the government, we are great admirers of this project," Mr Willetts said. | "In the government, we are great admirers of this project," Mr Willetts said. |
| "We're backing it for two reasons. One is the sheer brilliance of the engineering and the quality of the R&D. But it is also the quite extraordinary outreach activities. It's one of the most ambitious schools outreach programmes going, perhaps the biggest ever centred around a single engineering challenge." | "We're backing it for two reasons. One is the sheer brilliance of the engineering and the quality of the R&D. But it is also the quite extraordinary outreach activities. It's one of the most ambitious schools outreach programmes going, perhaps the biggest ever centred around a single engineering challenge." |
| Although, the government has given considerable in-kind support to Bloodhound, including the loan of the Eurofighter jet engines that will help power the car, the project is fundamentally a privately funded venture. | Although, the government has given considerable in-kind support to Bloodhound, including the loan of the Eurofighter jet engines that will help power the car, the project is fundamentally a privately funded venture. |
| So far, it has cost some £12m and is likely to require another £6-7m to finish the build. | So far, it has cost some £12m and is likely to require another £6-7m to finish the build. |
| Further money will then be needed to run the vehicle at its specially prepared race track, Hakskeen Pan in South Africa. | Further money will then be needed to run the vehicle at its specially prepared race track, Hakskeen Pan in South Africa. |
| Some 200 UK companies are involved in the construction, including big aerospace concerns such as Rolls-Royce, Lockheed Martin UK, and Hampson Industries. | Some 200 UK companies are involved in the construction, including big aerospace concerns such as Rolls-Royce, Lockheed Martin UK, and Hampson Industries. |
| A number, like Rolls, are not just offering free technical support but are actively sponsoring the project. | A number, like Rolls, are not just offering free technical support but are actively sponsoring the project. |
| Speaking of the slip in the schedule, Bloodhound director Richard Noble said the team had sought an independent assessment from an engineering consultancy on what was a credible timeline. | Speaking of the slip in the schedule, Bloodhound director Richard Noble said the team had sought an independent assessment from an engineering consultancy on what was a credible timeline. |
| "I think we'd lost sight to some extent of the sheer scale of this thing," he told BBC News. | "I think we'd lost sight to some extent of the sheer scale of this thing," he told BBC News. |
| "From my point of view, it's not great because I've got to get out there and raise another year's worth of money. But we're getting a lot of people now chasing us, wanting to sponsor us, and that's really great. And having the likes of Rolls-Royce onboard is a tremendous signal." | "From my point of view, it's not great because I've got to get out there and raise another year's worth of money. But we're getting a lot of people now chasing us, wanting to sponsor us, and that's really great. And having the likes of Rolls-Royce onboard is a tremendous signal." |
| The intention was always to run the car over two years. | The intention was always to run the car over two years. |
| This means, assuming no further delays are encountered, the finished vehicle will probably do some low-speed tests on a runway at Newquay in Cornwall in Q2, 2015. It will then be shipped to South Africa via an Antonov heavy-lift aeroplane for high-speed running in Q3. | This means, assuming no further delays are encountered, the finished vehicle will probably do some low-speed tests on a runway at Newquay in Cornwall in Q2, 2015. It will then be shipped to South Africa via an Antonov heavy-lift aeroplane for high-speed running in Q3. |
| The plan is first to raise the world land speed record from its current mark of 763mph (1,228km/h), and then return in 2016 for an attempt to go beyond 1,000mph (1,610km/h). | The plan is first to raise the world land speed record from its current mark of 763mph (1,228km/h), and then return in 2016 for an attempt to go beyond 1,000mph (1,610km/h). |
| Bloodhound will use a rocket in addition to a Eurofighter-Typhoon jet engine to generate thrust. | Bloodhound will use a rocket in addition to a Eurofighter-Typhoon jet engine to generate thrust. |
| It will also carry a Cosworth Formula 1 engine, although this will have no direct involvement in driving wheels as it does on a racing car. Instead, the F1 power unit will turn the pump that forces liquid oxidiser into the rocket's fuel chamber. | It will also carry a Cosworth Formula 1 engine, although this will have no direct involvement in driving wheels as it does on a racing car. Instead, the F1 power unit will turn the pump that forces liquid oxidiser into the rocket's fuel chamber. |
| Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos | Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos |