“…at maximum velocity, the pressure of air bearing down on the carbon fiber and titanium bodywork will exceed 12 tons per square meter.”

“ ‘Because the rocket is positioned above the Ej200 and therefore raises the center of gravity, we need to position the rear wheels on draggy struts’ observes Noble. ‘In the past this was seen as a huge aerodynamic disadvantage – one that made the famed Budweiser Rocket “wheelbarrow” at times – but today, running CFD with multi-million elements, we can compute the drag of the wheels and struts at mach 1.4 and optimize the shape to minimize drag and shock effects.’”

“Speaking of the rear wheels, or more precisely the covers over the 900mm (38.5 in) wheels, their highly is intended to reduce supersonic drag, while at the same time protecting the upper surface of the wheels from the oncoming airflow. Without protection, this would reach mach 2.8. In addition, the wheel bays have to be ventilated to reduce power losses resulting from the airflow being generated by the rotation of the wheel at supersonic speeds. In fact, the wheels will be required to spin at over 10,000 rpm and will generate a staggering 50,000 radial g at their rims.”