Gulfstream has joined forces with Lockheed Martin Skunk Works to study the technical feasibility and market appeal of a supersonic business jet.
The initial study phase will last 18-24 months. "If we choose to go forward into development, it will take eight to 10 years to put into service," says Gulfstream Aircraft president Bill Boisture.
Gulfstream and the Skunk Works have defined the initial requirements for the proposed Supersonic Business Jet (SBJ) as: a cruise speed between Mach 1.6 and 2; a range of more than 7,400km(4,000nm); and a stand-up cabin for eight passengers, similar in size to that of the Gulfstream IV-SP. The supersonic business jet already being studied by Dassault has a cruise speed of M1.8 and a range of 7,400km, but a cabin size equivalent to that of the smaller Falcon 50EX.
The decision to study the SBJ is prompted by "...the globalisation of business, the emergence of far-flung markets, the rising need for security and the viable operation of large, long-range aircraft in fractional ownership," Boisture says. The latter is likely to prove key to making any supersonic business jet affordable.
Richard Santulli, chairman of Executive Jet, which operates the NetJets fractional ownership scheme, says: "We could win more customers for supersonic business jets than we have now for our whole programme. More people are going to be interested in an $80 million aircraft if you can offer a part share for $2 million."
"Time is the next frontier" in business aviation, Boisture says. "Range is not the issue, as there is almost nowhere you cannot go non-stop in a Gulfstream V."
The baseline design for the SBJ study is a twin-engined "arrow wing" aircraft, although Boisture says several other configurations are being considered, including designs with three engines. Length of the conceptual aircraft shown in model form at the show is 26-27m (85-90f) and wingspan 11-12m, he says. Dassault's proposed Falcon SSBJ is 31.7m long, has a 16.9m span and is powered by three 12,000lb-thrust (53kN) non-afterburning engines.
Source: Flight International
