A second-generation supersonic transport (SST) capable of carrying 250 passengers 5,500nm (10,000km), while meeting future airport noise restrictions, is feasible today, according to a leading German scientist at Paris.
Dr Ulrich Herrmann heads Epistle, a major European research programme into SST performance at low speeds. He claims a replacement for Concorde could be "40% quieter and more efficient on take-off", though there would need to be a trade-off in performance – Mach 1.6 would allow a more efficient wing design than Concorde's Mach 2.
Equally important, a Mach 1.6 SST using the Epistle wing could be made to meet future Stage 4 noise regulations, he says.
Operating costs would be 20-25% higher than a subsonic airliner, but significantly lower than Concorde. And operating range would be comparable to that of a Boeing 767 or 777, rather than Concorde's 3,500nm.
Routes such as Los Angeles-Honolulu-Tokyo would be achievable at Mach 1.6, opening up greater potential for airlines.
With an Air France Concorde symbolically flying into retirement at Le Bourget the day before the show opened, Dr Herrmann's words give hope to those who would like to see a successor sooner rather than later. "I want to see the Epistle concept on a real, flying aircraft," he says.
Source: Flight Daily News
