Supersonisk business jet testes i vindtunnel - AIN

 

November 10, 2020 View in browser   •   Email Editor

Aerion Completes AS2 Wind Tunnel Testing Aerion Supersonic wrapped up low- and high-speed wind tunnel testing for its redesigned Mach 1.4 AS2 business jet, accumulating the equivalent of 78,000 nm flown and hundreds of simulated flight hours at facilities in Europe and North America. The testing, along with digital modeling, enabled Aerion engineers to assess more than 200,000 data points to validate the aerodynamic shape of the aircraft and keep the program on target for component manufacturing to begin in 2022 and AS2 assembly in 2023. The tests involved an evaluation of the full operational envelope of the AS2, including takeoff and landing, subsonic cruise, “boomless” supersonic cruise, and dive speed. Additionally, the AS2 design was tested for operational conditions, including the landing gear deployment and wing icing, along with handling qualities. Aerion worked with the French Office of National Aerospace Research in Modane, France, on high-speed testing, assessing stability and control at transonic and supersonic speeds. “The conclusion of this phase of the development program is a major milestone for Aerion and the AS2,” said Aerion chairman, president, and CEO Tom Vice. “In 2023, when we start manufacturing at Aerion Park [in Melbourne, Florida], the first AS2 we build will be a production-specification aircraft. This key phase of testing validates our aerodynamic assumptions.” First flight is planned in the mid-2020s, with certification to come later in the decade.