Supersonic business jet

Aerion SBJproject model

Asupersonic business jet(SSBJ) is abusiness jettravelling above thespeed of sound:asupersonic aircraft.Some manufacturers are designing or have been designing SSBJs, but none are currently available. Usually intended to transport about ten passengers, proposed SSBJs would be about the same size as subsonic business jets.

Only two commercialsupersonic transportsentered service: the Aérospatiale/British AerospaceConcordeand theTupolev Tu-144.Both were designed with government subsidies and did not recoup development costs. They had high operating costs and high noise.

Some manufacturers believe these concerns can be addressed at a smaller scale, offering high speed transport for small groups of high-value passengers,executivesorheads of state. Current proposals includeSAI Quiet Supersonic TransportandSpike S-512. Former proposals include theAerion SBJ,Aerion AS2,HyperMach SonicStar,Sukhoi-Gulfstream S-21andTupolev Tu-444. Several companies, includingGulfstream Aerospace,work onsonic booms-mitigation technologies like theQuiet Spike.

Timeline

In 1997,Dassault Aviationwas considering a Mach 1.8 supersonic business jet powered by three non-afterburning engines derived from subsonic aircraft, with a cabin similar to theFalcon 50,capable of flying between Paris and New York. With a 40 t (88,000 lb) MTOW and over 20 t (44,000 lb) of fuel, it would cover a range of 7,200 km (4,500 nmi). In September 2004, theEuropean Commissionselected the HISAC High Speed Aircraft program, launched with Dassault in 2005 and evaluating the feasibility of a small supersonic aircraft. By 2019, Dassault was reserved about the prospects for a supersonic business jet.

In January 2018,Vladimir Putinproposed a civil SSBJ variant of theTu-160bomber, for a potential market of 20-30 units in Russia alone at $100–120 million each. UACpreviously studied a SSBJ, displaying a scale model atMAKS Air Show2017, to be designed and built in seven years with an existing engine like theNK-32and a titaniumairframe,a limited production would be worth an expected $150 million price.

In August 2020,Virgin Galacticannounced the design of a high speeddelta wingaircraft for 9 to 19 people, targeting Mach 3 above 60,000 ft (18,000 m), in partnership withRolls-Royce plcfor its propulsion.

Gallery

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  S-21 3D model

See also

• Environmental impact of aviation– Effect of emissions from aircraft enginesPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets

External links

• Ken Vandruf (September 27, 2004)."Supersonic business jet announcement at NBAA".Wichita Business Journal.
• Jeremy R.C. Cox (Jun 17, 2010)."The Supersonic Business Jet: Why Are We Still Not Privately Flying at Mach 3?".Forbes.
• David Black (November 4, 2012)."Age of supersonic business jet nears".The National (Abu Dhabi).
• Mark Patiky (August 2, 2013)."Your Supersonic BizJet May Be Taking Off Shortly".Forbes.
• Jennifer Booton (August 16, 2013)."Forget the Hyperloop, Brace for Supersonic Travel".Fox Business.
• Matt Thurber (June 25, 2018)."AINsight: The Need for $peed".Aviation International News.
• Kerry Lynch (October 20, 2020)."Analysts: Many Contenders, but Little Space for Supersonics".Aviation International News.