Airbus plans son of Concorde
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Airbus plans son of Concorde
Airbus plans son of Concorde
Jonathan Leake, Science Correspondent
BARELY two years since the last Concordes were retired, Airbus, the European aircraft consortium, is looking at plans for a new generation of supersonic passenger jets.
The manufacturer, in which Britain’s BAE Systems is a partner, is drawing up designs for a 250-seat plane with a range of up to 6,000 miles that could reach speeds approaching 1,500mph.
It believes that rapid growth in the aviation market means that by 2050 there could be demand for supersonic travel on hundreds of long-haul routes. Corinne Marizy, an Airbus researcher, told a conference at Cambridge University last week that by 2050 supersonic travel could account for 10% to 20% of flights.
Airbus’s design is one of a number of blueprints being drawn up around the world for supersonic jets, the first of which Marizy said could be in service by 2015. By 2025 the market would be growing fast, she added.
Marizy and Airbus have been taking part in a Europe-wide study to measure the impact that a fleet of supersonic aircraft might have on the atmosphere. There have been fears that because they fly much higher than conventional aircraft, the jets might damage the stratosphere by releasing soot, carbon dioxide and water vapour into air that is currently almost unaffected by human activities.
At the conference Marizy conceded that the stratosphere would be affected, mainly by an increase in its water vapour content. The stratosphere is extremely dry and at that level water vapour behaves like a greenhouse gas, helping to warm the earth by reflecting back heat that would otherwise escape into space.
She pointed out, however, that the warming effect was likely to be quite small compared with that caused by emissions from conventional aircraft.
Her comments come amid a worldwide resurgence of interest in supersonic travel.
In the next few weeks Japan is due to launch an arrow-shaped plane at twice the speed of sound high over the Australian outback. The aircraft — a Franco-Japanese design — is an unmanned model but the aim is to use it to build a 300-seat aircraft that could reach service by 2015.
Its engine has already been tested to Mach 5.5, or 3,700mph, which would bring New York within an hour’s flight of Heathrow.
The most likely prospect for a new supersonic passenger plane is not a commercial airliner but a business jet aimed at a segment of the flying public. The aircraft makers Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Dassault, Gulfstream, and Sukhoi have all announced plans for such planes.
Professor Peter Haynes, acting director of the Institute of Aviation, based at Cambridge University, said the fall in the price of air travel at a time of rising incomes could create a lucrative market for supersonic flights among ordinary travellers as well as the rich.
Aviation is coming under increasing scrutiny for its impact on global warming. In Britain the government predicts that air passenger numbers will rise from 180m to 475m by 2030. Last week Elliot Morley, the environment minister, said that he wanted aviation to be included in international emissions agreements.
in Sunday Times
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Interesting article, lets hope it doesnt go down the same way Boeing's S. Cruiser went...
Jonathan Leake, Science Correspondent
BARELY two years since the last Concordes were retired, Airbus, the European aircraft consortium, is looking at plans for a new generation of supersonic passenger jets.
The manufacturer, in which Britain’s BAE Systems is a partner, is drawing up designs for a 250-seat plane with a range of up to 6,000 miles that could reach speeds approaching 1,500mph.
It believes that rapid growth in the aviation market means that by 2050 there could be demand for supersonic travel on hundreds of long-haul routes. Corinne Marizy, an Airbus researcher, told a conference at Cambridge University last week that by 2050 supersonic travel could account for 10% to 20% of flights.
Airbus’s design is one of a number of blueprints being drawn up around the world for supersonic jets, the first of which Marizy said could be in service by 2015. By 2025 the market would be growing fast, she added.
Marizy and Airbus have been taking part in a Europe-wide study to measure the impact that a fleet of supersonic aircraft might have on the atmosphere. There have been fears that because they fly much higher than conventional aircraft, the jets might damage the stratosphere by releasing soot, carbon dioxide and water vapour into air that is currently almost unaffected by human activities.
At the conference Marizy conceded that the stratosphere would be affected, mainly by an increase in its water vapour content. The stratosphere is extremely dry and at that level water vapour behaves like a greenhouse gas, helping to warm the earth by reflecting back heat that would otherwise escape into space.
She pointed out, however, that the warming effect was likely to be quite small compared with that caused by emissions from conventional aircraft.
Her comments come amid a worldwide resurgence of interest in supersonic travel.
In the next few weeks Japan is due to launch an arrow-shaped plane at twice the speed of sound high over the Australian outback. The aircraft — a Franco-Japanese design — is an unmanned model but the aim is to use it to build a 300-seat aircraft that could reach service by 2015.
Its engine has already been tested to Mach 5.5, or 3,700mph, which would bring New York within an hour’s flight of Heathrow.
The most likely prospect for a new supersonic passenger plane is not a commercial airliner but a business jet aimed at a segment of the flying public. The aircraft makers Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Dassault, Gulfstream, and Sukhoi have all announced plans for such planes.
Professor Peter Haynes, acting director of the Institute of Aviation, based at Cambridge University, said the fall in the price of air travel at a time of rising incomes could create a lucrative market for supersonic flights among ordinary travellers as well as the rich.
Aviation is coming under increasing scrutiny for its impact on global warming. In Britain the government predicts that air passenger numbers will rise from 180m to 475m by 2030. Last week Elliot Morley, the environment minister, said that he wanted aviation to be included in international emissions agreements.
in Sunday Times
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Interesting article, lets hope it doesnt go down the same way Boeing's S. Cruiser went...
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Since the supersonic air transport market will remain a niche market probably forever, an interesting development will be that of the supersonic business jet. Two concepts that go hand-in-hand; privileged as well as very fast transportation combined would make a perfect solution for the posh businessman of the future. 
IIRC Dassault, Sukhoi and some American firms are in the process of developing planes like this.
IIRC Dassault, Sukhoi and some American firms are in the process of developing planes like this.
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Pot calls kettle black?
If UK environment minister Elliot Morley is serious in the governments concern over aircraft emissions the initial answer lies within his grasp; the operator of the dirtiest, noisiest fleet of gas-guzzlers in the UK is the MOD.......no civilian airline could operate the aged airliners now in RAF service......as long as military aircraft are excluded worldwide the policy will be seen as a sham.[Or a new stealth tax].
It should, of course, be noted that, whilst the MOD have possibly the dirtiest, sootiest, highest emitting fleet of transport aircraft in service anywhere in the distant world, if we're talking about the tristar(L1011 for the yanks) and the vc-10 then it should also be noted that they have approximately 2 of each (exaggeration perhaps but the point stands) of which approximately 1 is serviceable at any given time (perhaps less of an exaggeration
..... and they are, in all fairness, shortly to be replaced by a shiny new tanker aircraft (A330 afaik?)....
..... and they are, in all fairness, shortly to be replaced by a shiny new tanker aircraft (A330 afaik?)....
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Does no-one else have a sense of deja-vue?
1) If its a European design, will the yanks admit it into the US? (witness the relative lack of progress on updating US airports for the A380)
2) With oil at $60+ per barrell, can it make money?
3) With 250 seats, do the heat expansion problems and commercial viability still work?
Its a nice idea, but until there is gound breaking news on the fuel economy, a burgeoning western economy, and a buy-in from the US, frankly I doubt it....
1) If its a European design, will the yanks admit it into the US? (witness the relative lack of progress on updating US airports for the A380)
2) With oil at $60+ per barrell, can it make money?
3) With 250 seats, do the heat expansion problems and commercial viability still work?
Its a nice idea, but until there is gound breaking news on the fuel economy, a burgeoning western economy, and a buy-in from the US, frankly I doubt it....
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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...
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...
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Would Airbus be looking for column-inches?
It's like those scientific 'discoveries' one sees trumpeted in the New Scientist, repeated every five years.
I bet that the market for jets of this sort is smaller than the market for Concorde was.
