Supersonic Flight and Sustainability: A New Horizon

Several manufacturers are working to ensure that the end of Concorde was not the end of the supersonic era. More than 50 years of technological progress enable quieter, more efficient supersonic aircraft. Indeed, current commercial aircraft are 80 percent more fuel efficient than the first jet airliners. According to the Aerospace Industries Association, a flight today produces 50 percent less CO₂ than the same flight in 1990 and aircraft noise footprints have shrunk up to 90 percent in the past 50 years. The subsonic fleet’s fuel efficiency and noise footprints have steadily improved, but the advances enabling these improvements—in computational design, propulsion systems, materials, route optimization, and others—have yet to be applied to a civil supersonic aircraft. Nonetheless, important progress is being made on supersonic applications, as reviewed in this article.

• Record URL:
  https://www.nae.edu/234442/Supersonic-Flight-and-Sustainability-A-New-Horizon
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/07376278
• Authors:
  • Russell, Raymond
  • Maurice, Lourdes
  • Devine, Rachel
• Publication Date: 2020-6

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: Figures; References;
• Serial:
  • The Bridge
  • Volume: 50
  • Issue Number: 2
  • Publisher: National Academy of Engineering
  • ISSN: 0737-6278
  • Serial URL: http://www.nae.edu/Publications/Bridge.aspx

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aircraft noise; Carbon dioxide; Fuel consumption; Improvements; Supersonic aircraft; Sustainable transportation
• Identifier Terms: Concorde (Supersonic transport)
• Subject Areas: Aviation; Environment; Passenger Transportation; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01747194
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 30 2020 3:52PM