Undisclosed buyer finalises deal for Reaction Engines hypersonic propulsion assets
The sale preserves critical thermal-management and heat-exchanger IP that could advance hydrogen propulsion and high-speed flight technologies, with potential long-term implications for future engine and fuel cell programs.
An undisclosed buyer has completed the acquisition of the intellectual property of UK hypersonic propulsion developer Reaction Engines, which collapsed into administration in October 2024. Administrators from PwC reported the sale was successfully concluded in May 2026. Non-refundable deposits of £884,000 (.66 million) have been received. While Reaction's SABRE engine was its most prominent project, industry interest is likely centred on the company's thermal-management and heat-exchanger technologies, which had been supplied to a Honeywell-led hydrogen fuel cell consortium under an EU Clean Aviation project. The buyer's identity has not been disclosed.