Aerion Remains on Pace for AS2 First Flight by 2023
The aircraft could fly at about Mach 1.5 over water and nearly Mach 1.2 over land without a sonic boom reaching the ground.
Reno, Nevada-based Aerion Corp. is on track to fly the world's first supersonic business jet (SSBJ), the Aerion AS2, by 2023, with certification expected to follow by 2025, company senior vice president and chief commercial officer Ernie Edwards told attendees recently at the Corporate Jet Investor Dubai conference. “Five years [from now] and [then a further] two years is a pretty aggressive [time frame],” he said, confirming the previously stated plans for the SSBJ program.
Aerion is planning to use an existing GE Aviation engine for the aircraft, which would benefit from the agreement signed with Lockheed Martin in December to develop the aircraft. “We have been searching for an engine for years,” Edwards said. “The challenge about the engine is longevity. We want frugality of fuel burn at altitude.”
The aircraft could fly at about Mach 1.5 over water at “super cruise,” while over land it could still achieve a speed of nearly Mach 1.2 without a sonic boom reaching the ground, he said.
“We think that, as the market leader, we will be first to market,” Edwards said of the increasing likelihood of a competitor entry. “The FAA realizes that supersonic flight is coming to our world.”
Edwards said he had flown overnight direct from Miami to attend the Dubai event, and that use of an aircraft like the AS2 would have saved him four hours of flying time. That's a benefit many busy executives would welcome, he noted.