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Airbus is partnering with a US start-up to design a supersonic business jet which is planned to be in the air by 2019.
The European aerospace group’s defence and space arm will work with the Nevada-based Aerion Corporation to commercialise the company’s research into supersonic flight, which has focused on developing a wing design capable of up to 90% supersonic natural laminar flow (SNLF).
Laminar flow is the smooth, uninterrupted flow of air over a wing. Aerion says its wing design halves friction drag over the wing compared with conventional swept or delta wings, increasing power, lowering weight and improving fuel efficiency, thereby making supersonic flight commercially viable.
Doug Nichols, chief executive of Aerion, said: “This agreement provides validation from the industry leader in aerospace innovation and kicks the programme into high gear.Aerion moves quickly toward building a supersonic jet, and Airbus gains access to more than a decade of successful research and proprietary, high-performance aircraft technology.”
Aerion’s first aircraft, which Airbus will help develop and certify, is the AS2. The plan is for the aircraft, which was launched earlier this year, to take its first flight in 2019 and enter commercial service in 2023.
The AS2 is an update of a 10-year-old twinjet business jet design. It features three engines and a very thin, unswept wing, tapered with a sharp leading edge and a slightly curved airfoil. The aircraft will cruise at Mach 1.6, and have a take-off weight of 52,200kg and a range of 8,800km.
Aerion’s research into SNLF can be traced back to US defence research during the 1990s. To commercialise the research, the company was formed in 2002. Last year, it conducted, with Nasa, flight tests of the wing design, which the company said were “a conclusive demonstration of the viability of SNLF and its ability to generate great efficiency while travelling at supersonic speeds”.
According to reports, senior Airbus engineering staff will move into Aerion’s offices in Reno, Nevada, to provide support in aerodynamics, structures, fly-by-wire flight controls and certification planning. Aerion will provide access to its proprietary technology and assist in high-performance aircraft development in the longer term.
Jean Botti, chief technical officer of Airbus Group, said: “Aerion’s pioneering work has broad applications for both performance and efficiency. We are looking forward to a fruitful collaboration.”
Aerion predicts that the market for supersonic business jets will be between 400 and 600 aircraft over the next 15 to 20 years.