“When it comes to supersonic know-how, Lockheed Martin’s capabilities are well known, and, in fact, legendary,” said Robert Bass, Aerion’s billionaire backer and its chairman. “We share with Lockheed Martin a commitment to the long-term development of efficient civil supersonic aircraft.”
The first flight is planned for 2023. Business jet operator Flexjet ordered 20 AS2 planes in 2015.
The Aerion AS2 is a 12-passenger plane that can fly at a maximum speed over water of Mach 1.4. It could transport passengers from New York to London in around four hours, shaving about three hours off the trip.
Commercial supersonic flights ended in 2003 when the Concorde was laid to rest following a fatal crash and sagging demand.
Aerion isn’t alone in the quest to relaunch supersonic passenger travel. Earlier this month, Japan Airlines committed $10 million to Denver-based Boom Supersonic and said it had options to buy 20 of the start-up’s planes. Virgin Group’s founder, Richard Branson, announced last year that his company had options on the first 10 of Boom’s planes.
Boom’s founder, Blake Scholl, says the company is developing aircraft that could travel at Mach 2.2, more than 1,450 miles an hour, a speed that could cut the trip from San Francisco to Tokyo to a bearable five and a half hours.
