Money has been included in the fiscal year 2000 US defence budget that could kick-start a programme to demonstrate technology for a quiet supersonic business jet.
The US Congress added $15 million to the Department of Defense budget to fund a research project into "supersonic aircraft noise mitigation".
The money is expected to be used by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to support the Quiet Supersonic Aircraft Technology (QSAT) programme proposed by Lockheed Martin Skunk Works and Gulfstream.
The QSAT programme is a five-year effort to demonstrate sonic boom reduction technology that would be applicable to military aircraft and a supersonic business jet. Lockheed Martin and Gulfstream plan to put money into the project, but have said that government support is necessary if the programme is to go ahead.
Source: Flight International
