Go faster
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Posted Date: 01/03/2008
Issue: Executive & VIP Aviation International March 2008
Publication: Executive & VIP Aviation International
“The need for speed in the global economy is being addressed by Aerion,” stresses Brian Barents, Vice Chairman of Aerion Corporation. The offer of speed by the civil aerospace industry is nothing new; it had simply gone away. “That is not progress,” exclaims Barents.
Aerion has spent a full year on market research. In addition to the usual parameters, the company looked at price elasticity, market expectations at different price points and the effect on the supersonic private jet market of regulatory restrictions. The market research was undertaken in 2004 and, since then, Russia, China and other markets in Asia have come further into the business jet fold. Barents is confident the opportunities for private supersonic travel have, if anything, increased since 2004. Aerion has chosen to pitch its supersonic business jet at a speed of Mach 1.6; that is a speed which allows the use of existing technologies. Other basic parameters include a stand-up cabin and the ability to takeoff and land at existing business airports. The aircraft will be designed as a super mid-size cabin aircraft and will accommodate 8 to 12 passengers.
Powering up
Interestingly, the engine for the Aerion jet will be the JT8D-219. This is very tried and tested technology that Barents claims will be efficient both subsonically and sonically.
Barents reckons the JT8D will be compliant with noise and emissions regulations; it will also be competitive in terms of fuel and operating costs. However, first the engine will undergo modification using the same techniques being carried out on this engine type for the US Air Force’s command and control programme – JSTARS. In particular, there will be changes to the combustor and some new coatings. “This will not be an off the shelf engine,” says Barents, “but it will be very close.” The new generation JT8D will meet the latest ICAO standards for nitrogen oxide emissions as well as Stage 4/Chapter 4 noise regulations, he claims.
While Barents concedes that a more modern engine would be more efficient, the JT8D is the only engine that will meet Aerion’s requirements today. “But it is a combination of the engine and the airframe that determines the efficiency of the aircraft,” says Barents. The feather in Aerion’s cap is the natural laminar flow wing of its aircraft wing design which reduces drag by 50%, claims Barents, which – in turn – reduces fuel burn. “This is the technology of the aircraft,” reinforces Barents. The aircraft’s wings will be made from carbon fibre composites for low weight at the required level of stiffness, using construction methods common on modern fighter aircraft. The fuselage will be metal.
The preliminary design is complete, low speed wind tunnel tests have been successful and letters of intent have been signed, the commitments of which already exceed more than $1.5 billion based on an aircraft price tag of $80 million. With potential customers showing their dedication to the project, the next stage is to line up a manufacturer who will take on the task of building the aircraft and seeing it through its certification process. This could be tricky in today’s full order book environment, but Barents appears unfazed.
Operational complexity
Aerion is at pains to point out that the Aerion SBJ has been designed within today’s regulatory restrictions; it is not an aircraft design that depends on future regulatory leniency. It can be operated over many land masses at speeds above Mach 1. Over certain national or regional corridors, including parts of Canada, Australia and Siberia, the aircraft can fly at unrestricted speeds up to its maximum Mach 1.6. In other regions governed by ICAO regulations, the aircraft is capable of operating at boomless cruise speeds up to Mach 1.15. There is no doubt that the Aerion SBJ presents the pilot with operational complexity; in other words, operators will have to build today’s operating rules into their flight plans.
Aerion explains: “No boom supersonic flight takes advantage of the lower speed of sound at altitude than on the ground due to the lower temperatures at altitude.” The Aerion SBJ is designed to cruise at a maximum altitude of 51,000ft and will therefore travel in the lowest part of the stratosphere. Range at high subsonic speed is more than 4,500nm and range at supersonic speeds exceeds 4,000nm.
The point of all this technological development is – simply – speed. The Aerion SBJ will fly from New York to Paris in four hours and 15 minutes, compared with the usual seven and a half hours. The new jet will fly coast to coast US at speeds up to Mach 0.99 in less than four hours. If all goes to plan, a manufacturer will be secured by the end of 2008 and the programme will be launched in 2009. By 2014, Aerion expects the programme to be certified and in production with six units taking to the skies in the first year. Barents expects 300 aircraft to be produced in the first 10 years.
The development costs have been put at $2.3 billion (not including work to develop the engine). Barents points out that building this aircraft will be a lot more expensive than building a comparably sized business jet – hence the $80 million price tag – even though it draws on existing technology. “People will pay a premium for speed,” says Barents. So far he appears to be right. Already letters of intent for more than 20 aircraft have been signed. “A solid order book will compel an OEM to step up and partner with us,” he concludes.
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