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World’s First Supersonic Business Jet to Arrive by 2021

Airbus and Aerion have recently announced they have partnered up in the quest to create the world’s first supersonic business jet. The new multimillion-dollar aircraft would trim three hours off the current commercial jet flight time between Paris and Washington.
AS2 supersonic airplane 1 photo
Photo: AS2
Imagine going from New York to Sao Paolo almost three hours faster then you do now with the fastest commercial flight. With the Aerion AS2 it will be possible. Well, almost. You also need to be quite prosper to afford it, of course.

It’s not the first time the Nevada-based Aerion Corporation is talking about its supersonic airplane, only that it recently got a gigantic new partner to back up the project - Airbus. The two will work together on the jet’s development and exchange capabilities regarding design, manufacturing and certification. The aircraft’s engine partner is yet to be announced, but the first commercial supersonic flight is due 2021.

It reduces overall drag by 20 percent

According to Airbus, both companies want to be the first in the industry to develop a supersonic business jet. “This is a major step forward for Aerion,” Robert M. Bass, the chairman and principal investor of Aerion, said in a statement.

The company claims the AS2’s newly-designed wings reduce overall drag by 20 percent, allowing for lower fuel consumption and longer range. Its 30-foot-long cabin is forecast to seat up to 12 passengers in what will obviously be high-class business-style comfort.

A $100 million project

The project will cost around $100 million and Aerion hopes to begin test flights by 2019. As you’d expect, there is quite the race in the industry as companies around the world are trying to be first at offering the supersonic flight service. Considering the last time a commercial supersonic service was functional was back in 2003 with the famous Concorde airplane, we’re quite sure it’s extremely important who gets there first. Again.

The development of Concorde, however, was a substantial economic loss. That's why the cost of production and functioning are the key elements for future commercial supersonic services.

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