The future of supersonic transport
have been working on the X-59 QueSST aircraft, a low-boom flight demonstrator project. 20 By modifying the shape of the fuselage, we could potentially manipulate how the shockwaves travel. The X- 59 aircraft is described as ‘long and slender’. 21 The idea is to smooth out the aircraft, 22 and avoid large parts sticking out of the fuselage, making it more streamlined and aerodynamic. This changes the aircraft’s volume and lifts distribution, which helps in spreading out and separating the shock waves, thus reducing the loud sonic boom. When plotting a pressure over time graph, an N-shaped curve can be seen. 23 If we managed to lower the amplitude of the graph, by distributing the pressure over a longer period, this essentially means a sonic boom will be quieter, called a ‘sonic thump’, reaching noise levels of around 75 decibels, same as the noise created from closing a car door. 24 The X-59 has successfully completed structural loads testing in April 2022, 25 and its first flight is expected to be held in late-2022. By collecting noise level data on the ground while the jet is flying at a top speed of Mach 1.6, the industry could potentially prove that supersonic flights can be feasible overland, without causing any sonic boom. If the supersonic flight bans are lifted, this will allow a higher degree of flexibility when it comes to opening new routes, since intercontinental flights are now feasible. Although Boom’s Overture still aims at the trans -oceanic market, making sonic boom not a concern for them, there are other jets, such as Spike Aerospace’s S -512, which rely on this revolutionary change. The S-512 is capable of flying at Mach 1.6, 26 and unlike Overture which targets the commercial jet market, Spike Aerospace targets the business jet market. This would mean intercontinental flying overland will be a huge part of the S-512.
Fuel consumption and drag
When supersonic jets were being developed in the 1950s, sustainability and climate change were certainly not points to be considered. The Concorde, equipped with 4 Rolls-Royce/Snecma Olympus 593 turbojet engines with afterburners, 27 burns around 25,629 litres of fuel per hour. 28 Meanwhile, the Boeing 747-400 consumes 14,400 Litres per hour. 29 Indeed, s ince Concorde’s flight time is almost twice
20 Lillian Gipson, ‘NASA’s Supersonic X -59 QueSST Coming Together at Famed Factory, ’ NASA , October 9, 2019, https://www.nasa.gov/aero/nasa-supersonic-x59-quesst-coming-together-at-famed-factory. 21 NASA Video, ‘ X-59: Sonic Booms Explained, ’ August 20, 2021, video, 4:43, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laM0Nv8nkw4. 22 CNET, ‘Exclusive look at NASA’s low -boom supersonic plane, ’ July 7, 2021, video, 14:36, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcHW1LZrzI0. 23 ‘What’s th e science of sound?, ’ NASA QueSST, accessed August 22, 2022, https://www.nasa.gov/specials/Quesst/science-of-sound.html#5. 24 Jan Tegler, ‘ Supersonic thump, ’ Aerospace America , November 2019, https://aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org/features/supersonic-thump/. 25 ‘ X-59, ’ Lockheed Martin, accessed August 22, 2022, https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en- us/products/quesst.html.
26 ‘ S-512 Specifications & Performance, ’ Spike Aerospace, accessed August 22, 2022, https://www.spikeaerospace.com/s-512-supersonic-jet/specifications-performance/. 27 ‘ Concorde Olympus 593 MK.610 Engines, ’ Heritage Concorde, accessed August 23, 2022, https://www.heritageconcorde.com/concorde-olympus-593-mk610-engines.
28 ‘ Fuel, ’ PBS NOVA Online, accessed August 23, 2022, https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/supersonic/fuel.html. 29 ‘ How Much Fuel Does a Boeing 747 Hold? (vs. Other Airliners), ’ Executive Flyers, accessed August 23, 2022, https://executiveflyers.com/how-much-fuel-does-a-boeing-747-hold/.
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