Bloodhound SSC First (Jet) Engine Startup, Next Stop: 1,000 MPH Record

Like other land speed records, the Bloodhound SSC is indeed a rocket, but there's more to it than that. The title mentions a jet engine firing up, so there has to be one tucked away somewhere in that 12.9-meters (42 feet) long pencil-shaped body.

Indeed there is. Originally found on a Eurofighter military jet, the EJ200 engine will be used to take the Bloodhound to 300 mph (480 km/h), at which speed the rocket kicks in and takes over until the planned 1,000 mph speed is reached.

This is the first time the jet engine is spooled to life while actually mounted on the vehicle, and it's just in time. The Bloodhound SSC is scheduled for a few mild test runs next month where it's supposed to reach 200 mph (320 km/h) toward the end of October on the runway of the Cornwall Airport.

As you'd expect, the jet engine sounds like a jet engine. The real treat here is listening to its high-pitched whirl while looking at something that's not designed to fly. It's like staring at a kitten yawning with tiger roars pumping in the headphones. Or something.

The record run that will attempt to break the 1,000 mph barrier will take place at the Hakskeen Pan, the mud-and-salt-flat in South Africa next year. Driving the thing - or fighting for his life, if you will - will be wing commander Andy Green, the man who currently holds the land speed record after his 763.035 mph (1,227.99 km) run in the Thrust SSC in 1997.

The wheels you see in the clip - and the tires, prompting a short "sponsor moment" - are going to be used for the low-speed attempts in the UK. When going at full blast, the SSC will put on its all-aluminum 36-inch discs, designed to deal with the heat and physical punishment during the test run.