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The Aerion supersonic business jet is designed to fly executives at twice the speed of today's business jets, while offering economy of operation comparable to conventional long-range business jets.
The aircraft incorporates patented supersonic natural laminar flow technology that substantially reduces drag at supersonic as well as high-subsonic cruise speeds. This efficient design allows the development of an aircraft that can use existing powerplant technology from Pratt & Whitney.
The aircraft will be fuel efficient at cruise speeds just below the speed of sound, allowing it to perform short and long-haul overland missions with the same economies as today's large business jets. Range is roughly the same at both subsonic and supersonic speeds and will exceed 4,000 nautical miles. The aircraft has a low boom signature and boomless cruise up to Mach 1.1. Its maximum cruise speed will be Mach 1.6.
In the Aerion SBJ, New York to Paris flights will be reduced to four hours and 15 minutes versus about seven and a half hours in existing subsonic models. The SBJ will fly coast to coast at speeds up to .99 Mach in less than four hours. Thanks to its straight wing design and full span flaps, typical approach speed will be 120 knots and the aircraft will be able to operate routinely from business airports with runways of no more than 6,000 feet.
Aerion's design philosophy is to utilize demonstrated technologies and to minimize complexity. The Aerion SBJ therefore is designed to cruise efficiently up to 51,000 feet, its certification limit. The aircraft's wings will be made from carbon fiber composites for the required level of stiffness to weight, employing construction methods common on modern fighters. The fuselage will be of conventional aluminum alloys. The aircraft's top speed of Mach 1.6 eliminates the requirement for special high-temperature materials and complex systems.
Cabin size will be between today's super-midsize and large business jets. Cabin height is six feet. The cabin can accommodate eight to 12 passengers in a variety of configurations.
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