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March 29, 2021

Aerion Targeting Mach 4 and 7,000-nm for 50-passenger AS3

by Kerry Lynch

 - March 29, 2021, 9:01 AM

Aerion plans on providing further detail of what is to become its second supersonic aircraft, the AS3, but did reveal the 50-passenger airliner will reach or exceed Mach 4 and fly 7,000 nm. (Photo: Aerion)

Aerion is taking the next step in its quest for a family of supersonic jets, revealing on Monday the initial details for its second aircraft—the 50-passenger, Mach 4-plus AS3. Fuller details of the airliner companion to its AS2 Mach 1.4 business jet are anticipated later this year, Aerion said, but sketched out a goal of reaching near-hypersonic speeds and a 7,000-nm range for the AS3.

The aircraft is anticipated to fly before the end of the decade, the company projected, adding that it will build on the AS2 that is anticipated to be in service by then.

Aerion said the AS3 further will benefit from the fruits of its ongoing partnership with NASA’s Langley Research Center. Earlier this year, Aerion had announced an expansion of that partnership to study flight in the Mach 3 to 5 range.

“At Aerion, our vision is to build a future where humanity can travel between any two points on our planet within three hours,” reiterated Aerion chairman, president, and CEO Tom Vice, who outlined this vision during an AIAA Aviation Forum in June 2020. “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.”

Vice called the AS3 its next step in the company’s long-term technology roadmap and said it “will bring Aerion’s high-Mach-flight capability to a broader audience; we look forward to sharing more on our design later this year.”

Meanwhile, Aerion said it is on track to begin production of the AS2 in 2023.