Pakistani Firm the First Customer for Futuristic Supersonic Jet

U.S. based Aerion announced its first customer, Pakistan-based Princely Jets, after opening its order book at the Dubai Airshow. The futuristic supersonic business jet appears to be gaining altitude, with its US manufacturer saying it has letters of intent worth $US1.5 billion from customers interested in its $US80 million plane. The supersonic jet, capable of speeds of up to Mach 1.6 and offering eight to 12 passengers a range of more than 4000 nautical miles, is being marketed by multinational aviation group ExecuJet. The technology behind the aircraft was developed in the late 1980s by Dr Richard Tracy as part of a project for the US Defence Advanced Projects Agency. It can also cruise at Mach 1.1 without creating a sonic boom on the ground in regions with these regulations. The company says the aircraft uses a natural laminar flow wing to reduce airframe drag by as much as 20 per cent compared to the delta wing configuration used by Concorde.