23rd Congress of International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences, 8-13 September, 2002, Toronto, Canada
Paper ICAS 2002-8.8.1 (St)

THE CASE FOR A PRACTICAL SMALL SUPERSONIC TRANSPORT

C. Carreras, M. Daouk, T. Downen, L. Jamonet, S. Lederle, D. Sharman, R. Wertenberg
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA

Keywords: supersonic business jet, supersonic transport, ssbj, sbj, s3t

This paper assesses the feasibility of introducing a small supersonic transport aircraft into the commercial business jet market. The study considers issues both endogenous and exogenous to the aircraft manufacturer, including a market analysis, technological considerations, regulatory and political constraints and business economics. To bound the solution space and add realism it takes the perspective of an incumbent aircraft manufacturer serving the high-end business jet market. The study concludes that the following key aircraft characteristics optimize a combination of marketing, financial, and technical factors: * Mach 1.6 cruise * 4,200 nm range * 100,000 lb maximum takeoff weight * 8 passengers in a double-club cabin * $85 million maximum acquisition price

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