Boeing announced this week that it would provide financial, engineering and industrial resources to Aerion for development of the AS2 supersonic business jet.
The AS2 is intended to be the world's first supersonic business jet, designed to fly at Mach 1.4, which would make it 70% faster than business jets on the market today and able to cross the Atlantic Ocean in three hours.
In announcing the partnership, Steve Nordlund, vice president and general manager of Boeing NeXt, said the combination of Boeing and Aerion brought together the core competencies needed to bring the AS2 to market.
“Boeing is leading a mobility transformation that will safely and efficiently connect the world faster than ever before," he said. “This is a strategic and disciplined leadingedge investment in further maturing supersonic technology. Through this partnership that combines Aerion’s supersonic expertise with Boeing’s global industrial scale and commercial aviation experience, we have the right team to build the future of sustainable supersonic flight.”
Aerion was founded in 2003 to develop new supersonic technologies, unveiling the AS2 design in 2014 and announcing the GE Affinity engines in 2018.
"Aerion is the industry leader mapping out a successful, sustainable return to supersonic flight,” said Tom Vice, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Aerion. “The AS2 is the launch point for the future of regulatorycompliant and efficient supersonic flight. Together with Boeing, we’re creating a faster, more connected future with tremendous possibilities for enhancing humanity’s productivity and potential.”
The first flight of the AS2 is planned for 2023.