A supersonic passenger jet capable of shaving hours off of long-haul flights but quiet enough to fly the world's most traveled routes sounds like a dream and it is. For now.
However, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics is the latest company looking to turn that dream into a reality, recently unveiling plans for the Quiet Supersonic Technology Airliner (QSTA), a unique twin-engined plane capable of transporting up to 40 passengers at speeds of Mach 1.8 or roughly 1,380 mph.
That would take the QSTA from London to Tokyo in just over seven hours compared to the nearly 12 hours it takes today.
"Right now, we've only done early conceptual design studies to establish that the design is feasible, do sizing for the concept, how big it should be, how much it should weigh...Those early sensitivity studies to make sure it all makes sense," Lockheed Martin aerospace engineer Mike Buonanno told CNN Travel.
Leveraging Lockheed Martin's efforts with NASA to develop the X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology X-plane, the QSTA's design resembles that of Concorde. However, an extended super-sharp nose would sculpt sonic shockwaves that would flow along with the aircraft without creating a sonic boom. Instead, experts compared the noise that would be heard from the ground to the thump a car door makes when it's slammed.
Forward visibility systems embedded at the front of the aircraft would allow pilots to see everything from the cockpit while a single aisle configuration with one seat on either side would allow all passengers to enjoy window and aisle access.
"Ultimately airlines determine how they arrange their seats, but we've nominally configured the airplane for 40 passengers," added Buonanno. "We did considerable market research and found that this was the sweet spot for the size of this type of airplane, basically maximizing the number of markets that can be addressed by the airplane."
Travelers shouldn't hold their breath though as it will likely be years before Lockheed Martin's ambitious plans come to fruition.
"Right now the primary focus is to get that data to solve the regulatory challenge," Buonanno said. "The goal is to get that data by 2023, there's a rule-making cycle that goes on and we're working towards that goal for supporting that mission."
Earlier this month, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines announced it would help fund the Flying-V, an energy-efficient, long-distance aircraft that uses 20 percent less fuel compared to the Airbus A350.
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