Supersonic Aerospace International has designs for the Quiet Supersonic Transport (QSST), a business plane that could travel at supersonic speed with a minimal sonic boom. The Lockheed Martin "Skunk Works" design would allow planes to fly between Mach 1.6 and Mach 1.8 (almost 1,200 miles per hour) over populated land areas--twice the speed of current airlines. A flight from New York to Los Angeles could take as little as 2 hours and 15 minutes, the company says.
The first test flight is expected in 2011 and the first commercial flights are slated for 2013. SAI was founded in 2000 by J. Michael Paulson, son of Gulfstream founder and former CEO Allen Paulson.
The Lockheed Martin QSST design, with its aerodynamic shape and inverted V-tail, will theoretically allow it to suppress sonic booms to less than 1/100th of the level of the Concorde, according to Supersonic Aerospace International. The sonic signature is expected to be comparable to a sound level between the interior of a car at 70 miles per hour and normal talking levels.
SAI is looking at a range for the plane of 4,600 miles and an engine thrust of 33,000 pounds. Plans call for the QSST to carry a maximum weight of 153,000 pounds; it will be 132.1 feet long, with a wingspan of 63 feet and an overall height of 21.3 feet.
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