Posted on 11/19/2015 4:32:00 AM PST by sukhoi-30mki
The world's first private supersonic jet could take off in as little as six years.
The AS2 plane will be capable of supersonic travel, allowing passengers to travel between London and New York in just three hours, and Los Angeles to Tokyo in six.
Airbus and Aerion say they hope to choose a US manufacturing site for the jet during the first half of next year.
If all goes to plan, test flights will take place in 2021, with the first commercial flights for businesses beginning in 2023.
The Aerion AS2 business jet will fly at a top speed of 1,217 mph (1960 km/h), which is almost as fast as Concorde, which flew at 1,350 mph (2,170 km/h).
The team has so far made initial designs for a carbon-fiber wing structure, fuselage, landing gear and a fuel system.
Design features include wings which reduce overall drag by 20 per cent, allowing for lower fuel consumption and longer range and a luxurious 30ft-long cabin that will seat up to 12 passengers.
'We see clear and achievable technical solutions to the design of a supersonic jet, and a realistic road map for helping Aerion proceed toward construction and flight,' said Airbus senior vice president Ken McKenzie.
Airbus will provide all the major components and Aerion – a company backed by Texas-based billion Robert Bass - will complete the final assembly.
The companies say they are now looking for a US production site, which has 100-acre (40-hectare) space, located near runway at least 9,000 feet (2,700 meters) long, according to Bloomberg.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3322540/London-New-York-THREE-HOURS-Son-Concorde-fly-2021-speeds-1-200mph-reveals-Airbus.html#ixzz3rwLwjkXc Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
The world's first private supersonic jet could take off in as little as six years. The AS2 plane will be capable of supersonic travel, allowing passengers to travel between London and New York in just four hours, and Los Angeles to Tokyo in six
More pix at source
Reminds me of a century, like an F 104.
Good morning.
“ZOLFAGHARIFARD”
I don’t believe it.
5.56mm
It may be my advanced age, and you may certainly call me regressed, but I prefer the relaxed pace, luxurious amenities, and cordial social interaction of a comfy cruise ship.
Supersonic Concorde
First flight: 2 March 1969
Introduction: 21 January 1976
Fuel Burn Rate: 26,400 gallons /119,500 ltrs / 95,680 kgs
Fuel Consumption (at Idle Power) 1100 kgs/hr (302 Gallons/hr)
You’re right, not guilty.
5.56mm
Come, Concorde!
There's good reasons for this:
1. You don't need to run the engine with constant afterburner so much, and that dramatically reduces fuel consumption.
2. The new engines can run in the same supercruise mode that the engine on the F-22A Raptor does for most of its supersonic flight regime, and that reduces fuel consumption even further.
3. Limiting it to Mach 1.6 means far less need for expensive stainless steel or titanium structural components. In fact, it makes it possible to use a lot more composite structural materials, an additional factor in lowering fuel consumption.
4. Limiting the top speed to Mach 1.6 also means easier design to shape to plane to eliminate the pressure wave buildup that causes the sonic boom in the first place.
too bad the government will make you wait in security for an additional 3 hours!
Reminds me of the Pan-Am space liner from 2001: A Space Odyssey.
CC
The stubby wings and the T-tail do remind me of the Starfighter, now that you mention it.
Dennis Moore, Dennis Moore riding through the land.
Great sketch.
Hope this is not another paper airplane and they actually bend some metal to make one.
“and a luxurious 30ft-long cabin that will seat up to 12 passengers. “
—
12 passengers?
12 passengers?
It’s a private plane, basically. Very expensive.
Thought of the F-104 myself as soon as I saw the picture :D
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