Aerion AS2, A New Era Of Eco-Friendly Supersonic Aviation

Aerion's new headquarters under construction in Florida, United States. (Source: Aerion)

JAKARTA - It has been almost two decades since the legendary supersonic flight Concorde was retired in 2013. The world of aviation is now preparing to welcome the presence of Aerion AS2.

Relying on hundreds of millions of US dollars of investment, Aerion is gearing up to start mass production of AS2 in 2023. Not just any plane, because AS2 has various advantages. One of them is the speed of the flight which makes the distance New York - London to be covered in just 4.5 hours.

With a speed of Mach 1.4, the AS2 business jet capable of carrying 8-12 passengers is also able to cut 3 hours of New York - Cape Town flight time and more than 4 hours of travel between New York - Singapore and New York - Sydney.

"The Concorde is a brilliant machine, a glorious experiment, but it produces too many emissions in the environment, too much noise in our community, and too expensive to operate. What we are trying to do is very different," said Aerion Corporation Chairman, President and CEO Tom Vice launched CNN.

Aerion AS2 during trials. (Source: Aerion)

Preparing for its inaugural commercial flight in 2024, Aerion intends to bring this aircraft to the aviation industry market by 2026, plus a target of delivering 300 aircraft within 10 years of production.

"The world cannot wait until 2050 to become carbon neutral. We have to do it today," said Vice.

Latest technology

The Aerion AS2 has the support of the supersonic Affinity engine from GE, to the fuselage made by Spirit AeroSystems. There is also Honeywell, who has experience in supersonic military jets, designing the AS2 processors, displays, sensors and flight control systems.

"We had to design a very efficient aircraft with the lowest possible fuel burn. So we spent 10 years thinking about advanced aerodynamics and fuel-efficient engines. We have specially designed around noise and emissions," said Vice.

Unlike the Concorde which has an afterburner, a system in which fuel is sprayed into the engine exhaust and burned to increase thrust during takeoff and acceleration. AS2 will not use this technology.

The interior of the Aerion AS2. (Source: Aerion)

"We put that aside because it's too noisy and creates too many emissions in the environment. The second thing we think about is our energy source. We want an airplane that doesn't depend on fossil fuels and that can operate on 100 percent synthetic fuel from day one," explained Vice.

Mute noise

Vice told CNN in 2020 that AS2 was designed to meet Stage 5 Aircraft Noise Standards, the most stringent landing and take-off noise regulations. Vice claims that if his party has solved the problem and the plane will be quiet at the airport.

One more thing, AS2 also has the most innovative feature, this aircraft promises lower noise than the Concorde, especially when on the ground. It is also claimed to reduce the carbon emitted when the plane travels on the ground.

Aerion AS2. (Source: Aerion)

"We analyzed how business owners fly. We looked at a company outside of New York that was flying business jets around the world, and when we switched AS2 for them and rerun those flights for everyone who flies on their plane, AS2 saves it 142 hours a year. , "he hoped.

"Aerion's declared goal is to build a future where people will be able to fly between any two points on Earth within three hours. AS2 intends to be the first in the supersonic family, with AS3 aircraft in the pipeline, and future plans for aircraft. supersonic hybrid-electric, "concluded Vice