The startup Aerion is still a long way from materializing the AS2, its supersonic business jet, but has just taken a step further with the introduction of the AS3, a faster aircraft designed for the commercial aviation market.
Without revealing many details of the new model, Aerion says that the supersonic will be able to fly above Mach 4 over distances up to 7,000 nm (almost 13,000 km).
According to the US company, it is autonomy enough to fly between Los Angeles and Tokyo in less than 3 hours – currently, subsonic jets take about 11 hours to cover this route.
AS3 will have less capacity than Overture, the commercial supersonic of Boom company. It will be able to offer 50 seats against 88 seats of the rival, but at a speed at least twice as fast.
The only published image of the supersonic indicates that it is a four-engine jet with a delta wing and double vertical stabilizers. As a reference, the AS2 has three engines and horizontal stabilizers in the tail and can fly at just Mach 1.4.
The extraordinary is possible. Change the way you see our world with the 3000mph AS3 commercial airliner. pic.twitter.com/ZYilVHsapR
— Aerion Supersonic (@AerionCorp) March 29, 2021
“At Aerion, our vision is to build a future where humanity can travel between any two points on our planet within three hours. Supersonic flight is the starting point, but it is just that – the beginning. To truly revolutionize global mobility as we know it today, we must push the boundaries of what is possible,” said Aerion’s CEO, Tom Vice.
Aerion promises to show more details of the AS3 by the end of 2021. Meanwhile, the company, which has partners such as Boeing and GE, focuses on the development of the AS2 business jet, whose production is due to start in 2023 at a new plant in the state of Florida.
