by:Brittany Jones Cooper
The AS2 jet will be able to travel at speeds up to Mach 1.6. (Photo: Aerion)
Have you ever dreamed of flying
from New York to London in just three hours? That dream may become a
reality with the development of what will be the world’s fastest
business jet.
The U.S.-based Aerospace firm Aerion, is partnering with Airbus
to create a business jet that will fly at 1,217 mph. The Aerion AS2 is a
Mach 1.6 supersonic business jet, and uses a laminar flow wing to
achieve its amazing speed.
Over water, the AS2 will cruise
at speeds between Mach 1.4 and 1.6, which is twice as fast as today’s
civil jets. That will get you from New York to London in three hours, or
from Los Angeles to Tokyo in just six.
We haven’t seen velocity like
this since the Concorde, which traveled at 1,350 mph and was able to
make it from New York City to London in just three hours. That
supersonic jet was retired in 2003 after seeing a decrease in
passengers.
The AS2 sits 12 passengers (Photo: Aerion)
Supersonic speed is prohibited
over the United States, so the AS2 will also have the ability to fly at
just under the speed of sound, or around 754 mph.
The
AS2 is the product of more than a decade of research, and Aerion even
tested the laminar flow airfoils with NASA. The technology reduces
airframe drag by 20 percent, therefore allowing for lower fuel
consumption and longer range. And the AS2 will be able to go the
distance. The jet will be able to fly more than 5,450 statute miles,
meaning that it can connect cities like London and Seattle or San
Francisco and Toyko with a nonstop flight.
The projected price tag for the AS2 hovers around $100 million.
Aerion hopes to begin test flights by 2019.
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