Decades have passed since the retirement of the iconic Concorde in 2003. However, aerospace companies continue to work to cut flight times significantly, which has made intercontinental travel faster than ever before.
Supersonic flights are poised for a comeback, promising to revolutionise long-haul air travel. Supersonic planes of the future might make travel faster and more efficient while eliminating some of the harmful implications.
Part 2: The Concorde Legacy
Before looking ahead into the future of supersonic travel, let’s examine the legacy of the world’s first and only commercial supersonic aircraft Concorde. The Concorde operated between the years 1976 and 2003.
It could travel at twice the speed of sound. The Concorde could achieve Mach 2, or 1,350 mph. Perhaps one of its most remarkable accomplishments was reducing travel time from New York to London to almost 3.5 hours, whereas normal flights only take around 7-8 hours.
Despite all of these, however, the Concorde did have drawbacks to its speeding performance. The aircraft was very expensive to operate, carried only a few passengers, and was infamous for the sonic boom it produced when breaking the sound barrier.
The Concorde was retired partly due to increasing maintenance costs, decreasing demand, and environmental pressure. Technologies have advanced, and demand for supersonic travel, possibly faster than regular air travel, rekindled interest in returning to supersonic flight.
New Developments of Supersonic Flights
There are many companies now that are the front runners in making supersonic flights. The new generation is reversing all of the mistakes of Concorde.
The new supersonic jets are proposed to make air travel faster, quieter, and environmentally friendly.
Boom Supersonic Overture:
Boom Supersonic is the most active company in the race of the new supersonic plane. One showcase program of the company is a commercial airliner. Overture, that will go supersonic and fly at a Mach 1.7 speed which is twice the speed of commercial aircrafts.
This promises to carry up to 88 passengers and fly non-stop from New York to London in approximately 3.5 hours. With a sharp eye on sustainability, Boom is poised to use sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to reduce the environmental footprint of its flights.
Already, it has garnered interest from larger airlines: for example, United Airlines has already placed pre-orders for several Overture aircraft.
Aerion’s AS2:
Aerion is also vying for the supersonic market with the AS2 – supersonic business jet. The Aerion AS2 has a range of about 4,200 nautical miles at Mach 1.4.
What makes the AS2 special is that with its “Boomless Cruise” technology, it reduces noise pollution by ensuring the sonic boom doesn’t touch the ground.
That is what might finally make supersonic overland flights possible, something forbidden to the Concorde due to the ground-shaking noise it produced.
NASA and Lockheed Martin’s X-59 QueSST:
The X-59 QueSST (Quiet SuperSonic Technology) is an interesting advancement in supersonic travel. Designed by NASA and Lockheed Martin, the experimental aircraft is designed to solve one of the biggest challenges that supersonic travel faces.
This new aircraft will test new technologies, reducing the sonic boom to a quieter “sonic thump,” which will allow supersonic flights over populated areas.
The primary objective of the project involves testing and data collection to influence future designs of commercial supersonic which will alter long-haul travel.
Challenging Environmental Concerns
Supersonic travel is probably one of the most challenging areas around the environment in terms of fuel consumption and carbon emissions. Supersonic jets consume more energy when they fly at higher speeds than subsonic aircraft, but companies like Boom and Aerion are proposing solutions to make supersonic travel more eco-friendly.
One of the primary drivers in these endeavours is the incorporation of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). It can be made from renewable resources and is capable of reducing lifecycle carbon emissions by as much as 80%. Using supersonic aircraft, manufacturers strive to reduce this carbon footprint associated with faster air travel.
Next, it is aeronautics and engine performance where attention is placed to fuel efficiency and reducing emissions. As the producers refine the aircraft shape and generate propulsion systems that are as efficient as possible, they continue pushing toward making supersonic jets, not only faster but sustainable for tomorrow.
The Future of Long-Haul Travel
Long-haul travel will be given a potential jolt as supersonic flights are set to enter the skies once again. Time spent on commercial flights will be cut in half for business fliers, working or attending meetings rather than being held hostage on long flights.
The thought of soaring across the world aboard planes that can make the 1,476-mile journey from Los Angeles to Tokyo in just five hours is itself a rather fascinating image of the future.
Quieter supersonic jets may also usher in supersonic overland routes, which could mean faster transcontinental travel for more people. That would open up intercity travel, significantly reducing times across major markets.
There’s also the giant pluses–operating and development costs associated with supersonic aircraft. Least of which, shortly, their tickets would be relatively costly compared to run-of-the-mill commercial flights, which limits their accessibility to high-end travellers and corporate travel.
But then as technology becomes streamlined and competition intensifies, costs will come down and make supersonic travel affordable in the larger scheme.
Bottomline
Supersonic flights are back, with promises of sooner, quieter, and better efficiency in long-haul travel. Companies such as Boom Supersonic, Aerion, and NASA lead the new supersonic jet next-generation plane that will catapult air travel into stratospheric proportions.
These will revolutionise travel around the globe, making the world smaller and faster, one flight at a time, through innovations that address the challenges of noise and environmental sustainability.