bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

CNBC

By Leslie Josephs
Lockheed Martin , the manufacturer of supersonic fighter jets such as the F-16, wants civilians to fly faster than the speed of sound, too.
The company reached a memorandum of understanding with supersonic Aerion Corp. to explore how to engineer and manufacture a business jet that travels faster than the speed of sound, the companies said jointly Friday.
The agreement gives Aerion another heavyweight partner. It previously had worked with aeroplane manufacturer Airbus on designs of its business jet, the AS2, and GE Aviation earlier this year announced it would work on an engine for the plane.
Lockheed has been working with NASA to develop a quieter supersonic jet. The rattling sonic booms the supersonic planes produce is a challenge for start-ups that want to revive supersonic passenger travel. A 1973 U.S. law prohibits supersonic overland flights.

“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 US$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.
Read the original article at CNBC


Trump calls for US$1.5 trillion in military spending, citing ‘dangerous times’

F-16V fighter jet in ground test as Taiwan presses US and Lockheed Martin for delivery

Is China’s rapid progress in anti-submarine drones adding to concerns of Japan, US?

Lockheed Martin wants to develop a supersonic business jet

Lockheed and Reno-based aircraft manufacturer Aerion have signed an M.O.U.

Lockheed Martin wants to develop a supersonic business jet

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Lockheed and Reno-based aircraft manufacturer Aerion have signed an M.O.U.

Lockheed and Reno-based aircraft manufacturer Aerion have signed an M.O.U.