New supersonic aircraft to reach speeds of 6,000 km/h
New York to London in an hour.
13 April 2021
Imagine being able to travel from London to New York in just one hour or visit the two megacities of Los Angeles and Tokyo within three hours. The company Aerion wants to make this possible in the future. That's because it plans to build a supersonic aircraft that can travel at an incredible 6,000 kilometers per hour. To this end, Aerion has also enlisted the support of professionals: together with NASA, the super airplane is to be created, thus making the Travel change forever.
"Aerion AS3: A revolution in the travel industry
The world is moving faster and faster. And unless a virus is causing everything to come to a standstill, the same applies to the travel industry. We want to experience and see as much as possible. To travel to different countries and continents and immerse ourselves in the diverse cultures. To ensure that we experience even more and get from A to B even faster, the US company Aerion is currently developing a supersonic aircraft that allows passengers to change continents in an hour: the "Aerion AS3". The project also involves someone who knows a lot about fast flying objects: NASA.
In addition, the latest model is also to be used for commercial purposes, taking holidaymakers from London to New York in record time. The "Aerion AS3" is to offer space for 50 passengers and fly at a speed of 6,000 km/h.
Welcome to the team, NASA.
To be prepared for all circumstances, Aerion brought the US space agency NASA on board. "Our vision is to create a future where humanity can travel between any two points on our planet within three hours," says Tom Vice, Aerion's chairman, president and CEO, in a press release. The supersonic aircraft is just the beginning. For together, they intend to revolutionize and permanently change travel. "The collaboration will specifically explore commercial flight in the Mach 3-5 range," Vice adds. To explain: 5 Mach is about 6,200 kilometers per hour - seven times as fast as a conventional aircraft.
With the help of NASA, research is also to be carried out into what effects this extremely high speed would have on passengers and what optimal solutions could be used for energy generation. More details on the "AS3" and when the aircraft could go into production will be available at the end of the year.
Not the first rocket plane from Aerion
Aerion has already planned a rocket plane in the past; the "AS2". This is supposed to travel a little slower and fly 1,600 km/h, i.e. with 1.4 Mach. It could cover the distance from London to New York in about 4 hours. Plans call for the plane to have room for 12 passengers and go into production as early as 2023. The first test flight of the "AS2" could go as early as 2024. If everything goes smoothly, the supersonic aircraft should appear on the commercial market as early as 2016.
Picture Credits: Aerion, David Mark / Pixabay
