This Hypersonic Jet Can Fly from Paris to Tokyo in 3 Hours

From coq au vin to sukiyaki in just three hours? It's closer to a reality than you think (and the greatest two-part dinner ever).

Aircraft manufacturer Airbus just won a patent for a hypersonic jet that would fly from Paris to Tokyo in three hours instead of 12, The Guardian reports.

The plan, which was first set in motion four years ago and just now approved by the US Patent Office, involves using three unique types of engine power that would allow the passenger plane to rise above the atmosphere while still taking off on standard runways. Airbus has proposed using "gothic delta wings" for the aircraft, similar to the Concorde. But unlike the legendary supersonic airliner, the new jet would ascend in an almost vertical fashion, in an effort to avoid a supersonic boom.

Unfortunately, the jet isn't guaranteed, and it's possible that high operating costs will stunt the plan. A spokesman for Airbus said "Airbus Group and its divisions apply for hundreds of patents every year in order to protect intellectual property... These patents are often based on R&D concepts and ideas in a very nascent stage of conceptualisation, and not every patent progresses to becoming a fully realised technology or product."

A similar proposal in 2011 assumed 30-40 years for the plane to be in working condition, but, The Guardian repots, the patent is meant to "put down a marker for technology that could be useful in other developments."

The hypersonic jet would also be able to get from LA to Tokyo in three hours, as previously prophesied by Iggy Azalea.

Lucy Meilus is a staff writer for Thrillist and eats coq au vin and sukiyaki for dinner every night. Follow her on Twitter at @Lucymeilus and send news tips to news@thrillist.com.