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Aerion confirmed that it was engaged in talks with a number of potential partners during the Dubai Airshow to get its supersonic business jet into production.
The US company is looking to partner with an established airframe manufacturer who could certify and brand the airplane, said CEO Brian Barents.
“We have said publicly that by the second half of 2010 we will form a joint venture. Following that we are looking at a five-year development programme that will result in aircraft deliveries to customers in 2016.”
The research company has developed wing technology that substantially reduces drag at supersonic, as well as high-subsonic speeds, and the jet will be fuel efficient at cruise speeds just below the speed of sound.
“We burn a little more fuel, but not much more than a large business jet, like the BBJ or Airbus equivalents,” said Barents.
The jet costs US $80 million and on the second day of the Dubai Airshow, Barents confirmed that the company had taken one order.
In fact, the company has taken a number of orders for its supersonic business jet over the past two years and has a backlog of some $4 billion dollars. Around 30% of those orders are from Middle East customers.
Over the US, supersonic flight is prohibited, which Barents said, “is due to political reasons rather than anything else”, but the rest of the world uses ICAO standards, which says you can fly supersonically if you have an imperceptible boom, meaning with a boom that doesn’t reach the ground.
“Some people think that you can certify this aircraft by having the rules changed; we think that is very high risk and we don’t believe it will happen, particularly in this era of environmental sensitivities, so we will certify this airplane to today’s rules,” Barents concluded.
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Supersonic business jet is the right product for a global economy. Maximum efficiency and compliance with all regulation