"Lacpat II is a logical follow-up of the previous EC-project which has as objective to reduce antipodal flights to less than 2 to 4 hours. Among the several studied vehicles, only two novel aircraft for a Mach 5 and 8 flight are retained in the present proposal. Starting from the available Mach 5 vehicle and its related precooled turboramjet, assumed performance figures of different components will now be assessed in more detail, i.e.: ­ Intake design and performance ­ Environment friendly design of combustor ­ Nozzle design and performance ­ Structural analysis Once available, the vehicle performance will be re-assessed. The outcome will allow the definition of a detailed development roadmap. Though the cruise flight of the Mach 8 vehicle based on a scramjet seemed feasible, the acceleration based on an ejector rocket was not. Integrated design of airframe and engine throughout the whole trajectory is the prime focus now to guarantee a successful design. A turbo-based engine will replace the former ejector rocket to assure better performance and fuel consumption during acceleration. Important points to be addressed to realize these goals are: - proper development and validation of engine-airframe integration tools and methodology - high-speed airbreathing cycle analysis - off- and on-design behaviour of engine and airframe - dedicated experiments to evaluate the design in various operation points Validated tool development should give solid confidence to propose a fully integrated vehicle to comply with the mission goals. Once defined, a roadmap will be defined with a step-wise approach to future development. Finally, for vehicles flying at high speeds and high altitudes, limited know-how is available on the environmental impact. The influence of NOx and H2O onto the ozone layer and the formation of contrails with its direct and indirect effects will be investigated for both vehicles."