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Feasibility study of a supersonic business jet based on the Learjet airframe

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 February 2016

B. Chudoba ,
G. Coleman ,
P. A. Czysz  and
C. M. Butler
B. Chudoba
Affiliation:
The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, USA
G. Coleman
Affiliation:
The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, USA
P. A. Czysz
Affiliation:
HyperTech Concepts LLC, St Louis, USA
C. M. Butler
Affiliation:
Aircraft Design Services, San Antonio, USA
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Abstract

Since the dawn of the jet age, passengers on all jet transports, except Concorde, have traveled at about the same speed — a standard Mach 0 83-0 87 range as a practical compromise. After 27 years of supersonic commercial travel, British Airways and Air France retired their fleet of Concorde aircraft at the end of 2003 because it was considered no longer profitable. Clearly, with the retirement of Concorde, the world has lost the only aircraft offering passenger transportation at supersonic speeds. Over the past several years manufacturers have proposed new aircraft designs that promise an increase in transportation speeds. In particular, the business jet market appears to present a business case for an exclusive supersonic business jet (SSBJ). However, there is a key-hurdle which has, until now, prevented the successful launch of a SSBJ hardware program: the development cost for an all-new aircraft quickly eradicates the soughtafter business case. This paper presents the results of a parametric sizing study which aims to answer the following question: is it possible to drastically reduce the development effort of a supersonic business jet design by converting an existing Learjet airframe into a supersonic vehicle while sustaining FAA interest and approval? This paper discusses selected aircraft sizing trades and operations related constraints. The feasibility study indicates some level of technical plausibility for the case of converting an existing airframe into a certifiable lower-cost supersonic aircraft. Acknowledging the range of actual complications related to the task of economically modifying and certifying a legacy airframe towards a SSBJ, it appears that a larger size SSBJ offers significant technical and economical advantages which outweigh the ‘off-the-shelf’ Learjet case.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Aeronautical Journal , Volume 113 , Issue 1146 , August 2009 , pp. 517 - 531
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Aeronautical Society 2009 

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