After two years of
preliminary study, Aerion Corporation and GE Aviation have launched a formal
process to define and evaluate a final engine configuration for the AS2
supersonic business jet.
The two companies will
continue to participate in a formal and gated process to define a potential
collaboration for an AS2 engine.
“We have thoroughly evaluated
over two dozen civil and military engines from all leading engine producers
over the past two years and believe that working with GE Aviation will help
us meet the challenging specifications needed to meet our performance
objectives, as well as the high expectations of our customers,” said Aerion
CEO Doug Nichols.
Brad Mottier,
GE Vice President and General Manager for Business and General Aviation &
Integrated Services added: “Aerion sees an opportunity to pioneer a new
segment in business aviation and more broadly for civil aviation. Their goal
is to design and certify the first civil supersonic aircraft in half a
century. We welcome their vision and are excited to continue discussions on
engine configuration.”
Aerion program update
“After more than a decade
developing efficient supersonic technologies, Aerion is focusing its efforts
on assembling an industrial collaboration to bring a supersonic business jet
to market,” said Nichols. “The challenges for Aerion are no longer
technological,” he said. “Aerion has developed a vast body of supersonic
test data relevant to improving the efficiency of high-speed flight. Our
confidence in the aerodynamics and performance of the AS2 is very high,
borne out by extensive subsonic and supersonic wind tunnel tests, and by
flight testing of natural laminar flow airfoils on NASA’s F-15B at speeds up
to Mach 2.
“We have converged on a
preliminary design for aerostructures and for systems architecture through
our collaboration with Airbus Defence & Space. And we are working with GE
Aviation to define and evaluate a final engine configuration. We have an
aircraft design that can be certified and operated under today’s regulatory
regime and under the rules likely to govern supersonic aircraft for many
years to come.
“Aerion is the leader in
advancing civil supersonic technology and is well positioned to be the first
to market with a practical and efficient supersonic aircraft.
“Aerion has devoted nearly 15
years to this endeavor. We’ve done our homework, and that makes us confident
that we will create the industrial relationships necessary to bring the AS2
to market. Our focus now is to quietly do the work of building an industrial
framework that will engender success.”
Aerion Corporation,
headquartered in Reno, Nevada, was formed in 2003 to introduce a new era of
practical and efficient supersonic flight. Over more than a decade, Aerion
has demonstrated advanced wing technology in conjunction with NASA and other
leading aeronautical institutions. This research includes breakthrough work
in supersonic natural laminar flow, the key enabling technology behind the
AS2 business jet.
The 12-passenger AS2 has a
maximum operating speed of Mach 1.5 over water and land masses where
supersonic speed is permitted, and up to Mach 0.99 where required by
regulation to fly subsonically over land. Thanks to its unique supersonic
natural laminar flow wing, the aircraft achieves long range and efficiency
at supersonic and subsonic speeds.
In 2014, Aerion entered an
engineering collaboration with Airbus Group to develop the AS2. In November
2015 Aerion conducted wind tunnel tests at speeds up to Mach 1.5 at Canada’s
National Research Council trisonic wind tunnel in Ottawa, validating
Aerion’s CFD predictions regarding stability and control at high speed.
Also, the company that month announced a fleet order from Flexjet for 20 AS2
aircraft. Aerion expects the AS2’s first flight in 2023 and certification in
2025.
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