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The study is the first by the company in five
years and was undertaken as part of its ongoing
dialogue with potential OEM partners.
“It was time to take a fresh look at the
potential for the Aerion supersonic jet, taking
into account the globalization of the business
jet market,” said Aerion Vice Chairman Brian
Barents. “The Asian market, for example,
was barely considered in our last study five years
ago. Today, the region is a major source of demand
for long-range jets.”
The new study is being conducted by Alden &
Associates, a respected firm in the area of business
jet market research. Preliminary data confirms
Aerion’s earlier research which projected
a ten-year market for about 300 supersonic jets.
Although there is no timeline yet for the production
of the aircraft, it has some takers in India also.
Says Jeff Miller, spokesman for the company:
There is no set date for a first flight. Timing
depends on Aerion establishing a joint venture
with a major aircraft manufacturer to produce
the airplane. Aerion is an aeronautical research
firm with proprietary supersonic technology, but
requires the partnership of a large manufacturing
organization to proceed with production. Aerion
envisions a five-year development program culminating
in certification once a partnership is established.
There are also customers in India but Aerion
does not release these details without customer
permission.
“The preliminary data validate our business
assumptions,” said Barents on the eve of
the Singapore Air Show. “Considering the
effects of the global economic downturn on purchasing
psychology, these results, coupled with our current
backlog, demonstrate the strong desire for supersonic
transportation.”
Alden & Associates will make a fuller report
to Aerion in the coming weeks. Aerion Chairman
Robert Bass commented: “As we move forward
in our discussions with potential OEM partners
they are encouraged and we are encouraged by this
clear indication of pent-up demand for supersonic
transportation as defined by the Aerion jet.”
New flight tests
As Aerion continues its discussions with OEMs,
it is also pursuing tests to gather more data
on its supersonic natural laminar flow design.
Supersonic natural laminar flow (SNLF) is the
enabling technology allowing the Aerion jet to
provide efficient transportation at speeds from
Mach .95 to its maximum cruise speed of Mach 1.6.
SNLF was demonstrated in flight tests with NASA
in 2000 and 2006 and more recently in transonic
wind tunnel tests.
Aerion is planning a new series of flight tests
in conjunction with NASA Dryden Flight Research
Center, and will use, as before, a NASA F-15B
as a test platform.
The objective of the new flight test series is
to collect data from a larger airfoil section
than was tested previously. Those earlier tests
confirmed robust supersonic laminar flow on a
small airfoil section. The new flight test wing
model will allow the collection of data at high
Reynolds numbers much closer to a full-scale Aerion
wing at cruise altitude. The new wing model will
also allow Aerion to assess the required manufacturing
tolerances to assure robust laminar flow.
“We continue to see a validation of our
CFD models and SNLF prediction capability in flight
and wind tunnel tests,” commented Aerion
Chief Technology Officer Richard Tracy. “This
provides high confidence in our design and performance,
and allows us to begin turning our efforts to
refinement of required manufacturing tolerances.
We are therefore very pleased with the progress
of the testing program.”
Aerion Corporation of Reno, Nevada, is an advanced
engineering group formed in 2002 to reintroduce
commercial supersonic flight.
Aerion continues research begun more than 20
years ago, with the current focus on the design
of a practical and efficient supersonic business
jet employing patented natural laminar flow technology.
Aerion’s board includes: Robert M. Bass,
Chairman of Aerion and President of investment
group Keystone Group, LP; Brian E. Barents, Vice
Chairman of Aerion and former president and CEO
of Galaxy Aerospace and Learjet; Dr. Richard R.
Tracy, who has pioneered the supersonic natural
laminar wing concept and serves as Aerion’s
Chief Technology Officer; Michael L. Henderson,
COO of Aerion and Boeing’s former program
manager for high-speed civil transport; Robert
Morse, a Partner at Oak Hill Capital Management;
and James Stewart, CFO at SR Technics. John Holding,
previously Bombardier Aerospace’s Executive
Vice President, Integrated Product Definition
and Planning, is Senior Advisor to the company.
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