Are supersonic business jets coming back?

Image source: beam.land

It’s not as though traveling in supersonic speeds is a new technology; it has been around for years, epitomized by the once-success of the now-retired Concorde jets. There’s even “Flight of the Conchords,” an HBO series that pays a pun-based homage to the demise of the famed business jet.


The main turbulence the Concorde eventually had to face is its lack of commercial viability. Now, however, certain leaders and forerunners in the aviation industry are keen on bringing back the technology and improving vastly on it. For example, the company Boom claims that it can reduce the price of supersonic flights by up to 75 percent. This effectively means flight costs will be no different from a business-class flight on a 55-seater plane.

Image source: maxim.com

Then there’s the Aerion S2 jet, a project being developed collaboratively by top aviation companies and backed by billionaire Robert Bass, who is valued by Forbes at $4.9 billion. The Aerion is, indeed, promising; it is a modification of the Boeing 737 GE engine core which can reach Mach 1.4 when in flight. It’s a huge leap from the current standard of Mach 0.9.


Most analysts and experts in the industry believe that what’s impeding the technology from being viable for commercial use is the general lack of suitable engines for sound fuel economy. Also, most high-end jet engine varieties are still limited to NASA and military fighter jet use.


Yet while the fuel consumption and its corresponding cost is a real issue, more and more companies worldwide are buying into the resurrection of the supersonic jet, believing that the demand exists. After all, we all want faster flights.


Aviation and aerospace professional Scott Beale is skilled in commercial sales and aviation products marketing, government contracting, and business startups. Check out this linkfor more aviation-related posts.