Would Airbus be looking for column-inches?
Since Oct 2003, it seems every design bureau and their dog has claimed to be developing a new SST...
Wasn't there a Japanese / Mitsubishi contender?
The
Sukhoi S-21 was abandoned btw.
Taken from
http://www.aeronautics.ru/t60s01.htm
The S-21 business jet project was designed by Sukhoi in co-operation with Gulfstream. The aircraft had a length of about 40 m and a wingspan of about 20 m. It was designed to achieve cruising speeds up to Mach 2.0. The design saw numerous modifications, however, the development program was cancelled due to technical difficulties and a lack of funds.
Shame...