The field of international Travel could soon go supersonic, according to the Florida-based supersonic jet firm's Aerion. At present, a commercial airliner takes nine hours to fly from Los Angeles to Tokyo. Aerion believes it can reduce it to just two and half hours by the end of the decade. The company unveiled its AS3TM airliner. It can carry up to 50 passengers and can achieve a speed of nearly Mach 4+. This translates into an approximate speed of 3,000mph with a range of around 8,000 miles. It will appeal to a section of passengers who are hard-pressed for time.
The firm confirms the aircraft is in its final stages, and it has used the feedback of potential customers to integrate the latest concepts into the AS3TM. This is because it wants to improve efficiency and simultaneously reduce the impact on the environment.
Daily Mail UK says Aerion has entered into a partnership with Langley Research Center of NASA. The intention is to accelerate high-speed commercial flight to introduce a faster point-to-point journey. Its focus is on a commercial flight in the supersonic range. A senior official of Aerion describes the vision of the company. It is to create a situation where it becomes possible to travel between two points on our planet within three hours.
He is Tom Vice, the Chairman, President & CEO of the company. To him, supersonic flight is the starting point. The concept of air travel has changed since the days of the Wright Brothers. Space agencies are eyeing colonization of Mars, and speed has gained importance.
The world will go supersonic
Aerion plans to launch its AS2 business jet prior to the AS3TM.
That could see the AS2 enter service in 2027 after completion of all formalities. Tom Vice wants to push the boundaries to the limit. The tentative plan is to produce 300 jets at Aerion Park in Melbourne, Florida. Daily Mail UK adds the setup will cater to various aspects of manufacturing. It will be a fully integrated campus capable of handling manufacturing and testing activities, including flight-testing.
The AS2 could begin production in 2023, followed by flight-testing in 2025 and entering service in 2027. The facility will obviously be a massive complex with all its facilities in one place. That will ease logistics issues. Aerion has linked up with others companies who are working to reintroduce supersonic passenger travel. In May 2018, a media report about NASA and its plans of a supersonic plane could travel from New York to London in three hours.
Aerion is upbeat about its supersonic flights
Tom Vice believes Aerion is the leader of the supersonic jet pack. He says big names are involved in the project to popularize the concept of supersonic flights. Some of them are well-known in the field of aerospace.
It is all about reintroducing supersonic flights. His plan is to have a carbon-neutral aircraft from day one. That way, the AS2 will impart a new meaning to the future of air travel. It has already covered the equivalent of 78,000 nautical miles in wind tunnel test flights. The aircraft could claim to be the world's first supersonic business aircraft. Incidentally, a prototype of a hypersonic-speed Air Force One is under development.
Concorde was the first supersonic passenger plane
According to CNN, the AS3 of Aerion will take over from Concorde, the first supersonic passenger plane. It ceased to operate 17 years ago because of several factors. These were high emissions in the environment, excessive noise, and excessive operating expenses.
Tom Vice admitted to a media outlet in 2020 – "Concorde was a brilliant piece of machinery … What we're trying to do is very different." The company is setting up its global headquarters in Florida. Boom Supersonic raised $33 million for the commercial jet prototype.
