The technology exists today to build the Aerion SBJ. The wing technology has been demonstrated in NASA flight tests at supersonic speeds, confirming laminar flow predictions. A suitable engine (the greatest technological hurdle in any supersonic program) is available and in widespread current use. No exotic structural materials or manufacturing techniques are required. Systems will represent best current practices and be similar to those now used for large business jets.



By designing the aircraft for a maximum 1.6 Mach cruise, numerous technical obstacles can be avoided, including complex systems and the need for high temperature materials. Setting the certification ceiling at 51,000 feet, the same as for other business jets, reduces certification requirements and technical unknowns involved in certifying above this altitude.

The Aerion SBJ advances the state of the art through new aerodynamics and advanced design optimization methods, yet systems and materials are conventional, reliable and commonly in use in current production designs.

F-15 Flight Tests

Previous F-15B tests at NASA's Dryden facility demonstrated supersonic natural laminar flow, but with some flow disruption from the fuselage and the fixture that held the test wing model. A new, larger fixture will reduce flow distortions and allow for the testing of a larger wing model.

New tests will survey the flow field, airflow patterns and pressures, in the vicinity of the test structures. Then a carefully contoured wing section will be flown to compare the extent of laminar flow to predictions. The new wing section will investigate higher Reynolds number conditions - closer to the actual flight conditions of a full-scale wing at altitude.

With the ability to carry a larger wing test section aloft, Aerion can investigate the effects of various surface imperfections. The wing on the full-scale Aerion aircraft will be quite thin, tapering from about nine inches in thickness at the root to three inches at the tip. Manufacturing tolerances will need to be carefullly defined to ensure laminar flow - which is what these tests will help to determine. Aerion is in discussion now with NASA to schedule new flight tests in late 2009.

Engine Nozzle Testing

Aerion plans to test a selection of seven-percent scale nozzles in a United Technologies noise measurement wind tunnel in October 2009. Aerion previously modeled numerous nozzle configurations in computer simulations, and tested many of these as small-scale models in an anechoic chamber at the University of California, Irvine.

The wind tunnel will assess thrust performance and noise characteristics. The UTC tunnel is able to flow high-velocity air separately through both core and fan engine sections into the nozzle model. The mixing of these airstreams within the engine is an improtant determinant of an engine's noise characteristics. Pratt & Whitney has used the same tunnel to test other nozzle configurations on the JT8D for the MD-80 series of aircraft.

Transonic Tests

Discussions are underway with NASA for a new collaborative effort using the Unitary (transonic and supersonic) wind tunnel complex at NASA Ames Research Laboratory in Sunnyvale, California, near San Francisco. The objective will be to establish surface quality requirements and related manufacturing criteria for full-scale wing structures.