Could you imagine something like the Concorde being used
as a future Air Force One presidential jet?
The United States Air Force’s Presidential and Executive Airlift Directorate
has partnered with Exosonic to develop a supersonic executive transport.
With this move, the pair are looking to provide government leaders with rapid
travel around the world while emitting low sonic booms. Simple Flying caught up with
the leadership behind Exosonic to find out more about the company’s aircraft.
The company’s CEO, Norris Tie, has a strong background in the aerospace field, having
worked as a propulsion engineer on supersonic aircraft. Now, with Exosonic, he and his team have
a mission to move people around the world faster. With this in mind, Exosonic is eager to overcome
some of the most significant challenges that the supersonic industry has faced in previous years.
One of the prime criticisms of supersonic aircraft is the loud sonic boom that is created.
However, Tie and his colleagues are confident that they can solve this issue.
With low boom capability, the firm believes that the market is now at an inflection point
where supersonic jets capable of quiet flight will eventually make existing subsonic planes obsolete.
However, to achieve this, careful design planning has to be in place.
Notably, the shape of the proposed presidential jet will be directly determined by efforts in
this field. Subsequently, the cabin setup is also affected.
“How to generate a local supersonic airplane is through the aerodynamic shaping of the vehicle.
So, you’ll see that a lot of these vehicles typically have a long nose,
and that’s how to help distribute the shockwaves across the vehicle so that they’re spread out as
they travel above the ground and send a series of smaller, weaker booms,” Tie tells Simple Flying.
“There is a lot of careful shaping in the aircraft design, and that, of course, impacts the interior
cabin design. So, we have some interesting cabin design complexity to deal with.”
Particular governmental needs will also have to be considered with regard to the cabin.
Exosonic’s principal aircraft interior designer and business development analyst,
has a background specializing in VVIP and head-of-state aircraft interiors.
Stephanie Chahan explains that the governmental jet will be based on Exosonic’s flagship aircraft
but with unique modifications throughout the interior.
For commercial flights, the jet can be configured to serve up to 70 passengers.
However, the setup would be more intimate when it comes to the US Air Force’s requirements.
“It is meant to be a derivative of our commercial airliner that we’re working on...With
this contract awarded by the US Air Force’s AFWERX program, it’s meant to help us create a
concept that could come to life someday,...There are special requirements for working with the
government: They may need different communications systems or security, and we have to keep all those
in mind as we’re working on the cabin design.”The company’s supersonic jet is expected to be
introduced by the early to mid-2030s and is being developed with sustainability in mind- including
operation with sustainable fuels, and ensuring a material supply chain that is sustainable. The man
in charge on the Air Force side, Brigadier General Britton, is looking forward to the
cutting-edge technology that will come with the project. He highlights that transporting important
leaders across the globe in half the time can be the difference between success and failure.
What are your thoughts about Exonsonic’s concepts? Are you excited about the future introduction of
new supersonic aircraft? Let us know what you think of the prospects by leaving a comment.