Aerion Corp., the company behind the world’s first supersonic business jet, said last week that the Aerion AS2 is on track to complete its first flight by 2023, with certification in 2025. Although the company’s senior VP and Chief Commercial Officer Ernie Edwards said the time frame is “pretty aggressive,” he stated that Aerion Corp. will be the first to bring supersonic jets to the market.
Foreseen as a trijet, the Aerion AS2 will be able to fly 4,750 nautical miles at Mach 1.4 or over 5,000 nautical miles at Mach 0.95. Aerion’s strategy is to cruise at high-subsonic levels over land and has potential for a “boomless” flight at Mach 1.1.
Aerion will use existing GE Aviation engines to power the aircraft, which will be able to carry 8 to 12 passengers in its 30-foot-long cabin. The cabin interior will be fairly similar to regular jets, with two seating areas, a large galley, aft lavatory, and a walk in baggage area.
The AS2 would save countless hours of flying time that executives and business leaders find valuable. As of last year, Aerion already began taking orders for the $120 million jet.
