The hypersonic future of passenger aircraft

Since the Concord supersonic aircraft made its last flight in 2003, the leading world companies in the field of aircraft construction have not abandoned attempts to create a new model of a passenger aircraft that would overcome the sound barrier. And so, Boeing introduced its concept of the aircraft of the future.

According to the designers, this model of a passenger aircraft will be able to reach a speed exceeding the speed of sound by 5 times. That is, these aircraft will be able to fly at a speed of about 6,000 km / h. The aircraft has a streamlined shape and a very narrow nose. It is designed for several dozen passengers, although in the future it is possible to increase the number of seats. Technical details of the internal structure of the Boeing model have not yet been announced, because there are enough competitors in the world. In addition to Boeing, another American company, Lockheed Martin, is planning to develop a new model of supersonic passenger aircraft, which plans to master the niche of passenger supersonic aircraft together with Aerion. In addition, Boom is working on a reconstruction of the Concord model to make it cost-effective.

Chinese designers are also competing with US companies to create a supersonic passenger aircraft. At the beginning of this year, they presented their concept of an aircraft, which is also capable of speeds up to 5 times the speed of sound. The capacity of the Chinese aircraft is about 50 passengers or 5 tons of cargo. In tests in a wind tunnel, the Chinese model showed itself at the proper level, and the speed to which the designers accelerated the aircraft model exceeded 8,000 km / h.

I would like to recall that hypersonic passenger aircraft already existed in the world. This is a Soviet Tu-144 aircraft and a joint product of the Concord British and French engineers. But these aircraft were decommissioned due to emergency situations, as well as because of the incredibly high cost. If modern designers will be able to solve the problem of equipment wear associated with aerodynamic heating, as well as reduce production costs through the use of innovative materials, the world will see a new supersonic aircraft that will deliver passengers from Beijing to New York in just 2 hours.

Watch the video: BOEING Unveil HYPERSONIC JET Concept (April 2024).