About two decades ago, the French supersonic plane "Concorde" was retired, and since then, interest has been growing in the production of alternative aircraft that exceed the speed of sound. It seems that this is on the verge of becoming a reality. The American network "CNN" reported that many supersonic aircraft are currently under development, with airlines keen to provide planes that surpass the speed of sound to reduce travel time, as is the case with United Airlines, which has pledged to offer such aircraft by 2029.
The network mentioned that there is development underway for a plane that exceeds the speed of sound by nearly five times, reducing the flight duration between London and New York to just about 90 minutes, compared to about 7 hours for traditional commercial aircraft. The "Concorde," which was regarded as supersonic at its time, crossed the Atlantic Ocean between the two cities in about 3 hours.
The startup company "Hermeus," based in Atlanta, is working on producing the supersonic aircraft. Company officials state that they have started testing a new type of engine, believed to increase the aircraft's speed to 5 Mach (which exceeds 4,828 kilometers per hour). The engine is designed for a small, unmanned aircraft, and this plane is currently being constructed for the U.S. Air Force. However, with an increase in size, it could also become a commercial passenger aircraft.
The American company hopes to see the anticipated aircraft take flight within a decade, with the relatively long timeframe being due to the requirement to build the technology from scratch. Initially, the plane will be much smaller than current aircraft and even the "Concorde," which could accommodate around 100 people. The company's CEO, AJ Piplica, mentioned that they have built a model of a commercial aircraft and are currently focusing on business class and first-class travelers.
He added that the company has made adjustments to speed and operational costs, resulting in a plane that would seat about 20 passengers. He indicated that the aircraft would be profitable at first based on current business-class pricing. The company expects that the aircraft will eventually accommodate a larger number of passengers.
