The next-generation of supersonic commercial jets are soon going to take to skies and Boeing has entered the race to be the first by entering into a partnership with Aerion Supersonic – a Nevada-based company that’s in the advanced stages of building a business jet that can fly faster than the speed of sound. Called the Aerion AS2, the supersonic aircraft will be able to fly at speeds of up to Mach 1.4 (about 1000mph), 70 percent faster than conventional business jets, which will slash trans-Atlantic journey times by three hours. As a part of the partnership deal, Boeing will provide engineering, manufacturing and flight testing services for the Aerion AS2. “Through this partnership that combines Aerion’s supersonic expertise with Boeing’s global industrial scale and commercial aviation experience, we have the right team to build the future of sustainable supersonic flight,” Steve Nordlund, vice president and general manager of Boeing NeXt said in a statement.
What’s interesting is that Aerion previously worked with Boeing’s biggest rival, Airbus, on the development work of the AS2 business jet a few years back. In addition to that, Aerion also partnered with Lockheed Martin, which provided technical support for building the aircraft. If things go according to schedule, the Aerion AS2 could fly by 2023. There are several other companies that are vying to be the first to introduce the second-generation of supersonic passenger jets. Last year, NASA awarded a $250 million contract to Lockheed Martin for the development of a passenger jet, officially called X-59, which can hit supersonic speeds without the deafening sonic boom.
[Via – CNBC]
