London - A supersonic passenger jet – dubbed “Son of Concorde” – will be able to fly from London to New York in less than four-and-a-half hours.
The design of the plane – which could take off in six year’s time – is hoped to quieten the sonic booms when it breaks the sound barrier.
Airbus and Aerion say they hope to choose a US site to produce the Aerion AS2 jet next year. If all goes to plan, test flights will take place in 2021, with the first commercial flights in 2023. The jet would take almost half the current eight hours to fly from London to New York.
The AS2 will fly at a top speed of 1 217mph (about 1 900kph) – almost as fast as Concorde, which flew at 1 350mph and took three-and-a-half hours to fly to New York from London.
Design features for the plane, which can carry 12 passengers, include wings that reduce drag by 20 percent, allowing for lower fuel consumption and longer range.
Twenty AS2s – costing £1.54-billion – have been ordered by charter firm Flexjet, which said it will fly the planes at supersonic speeds over the Atlantic, Pacific and China.
British Airways retired Concorde – which travelled at twice the speed of sound – in 2003 after 27 years.
Daily Mail