GE to work on engine for billionaire’s dream of supersonic business jet
Aerion Corp, backed by billionaire Robert Bass, and GE are in talks on building an engine that would help the planemaker develop a supersonic business jet
Aerion has been working with engine makers to come up with a design that would power the first non-military supersonic jet since Concorde flights were halted in 2003. Photo: Bloomberg
Dallas: Aerion Corp, backed by billionaire Robert Bass, is in talks with General Electric (GE) Co. to build an engine that would resolve a major obstacle in the planemaker’s plan to develop a business jet that flies faster than the speed of sound.
Aerion, which already has a committed buyer for the AS2 project, has been working with engine makers to come up with a design that would power the first non-military supersonic jet since Concorde flights were halted in 2003. GE makes jet engines for large commercial aircraft, including Boeing and Airbus planes.
“The two companies will continue to participate in a formal and gated process to define a potential collaboration for an AS2 engine,” GE and Aerion said in a statement Monday.
Aerion’s effort to build a supersonic business jet gained momentum when Airbus Group SE agreed in 2014 to help design and produce the plane. The following year Flexjet, a fractional-jet ownership company, placed an order for 20 AS2 aircraft.
GE said an agreement hasn’t been reached. “We welcome their vision and are excited to continue discussions on engine configuration,” said Brad Mottier, GE’s vice president for business aviation. Bloomberg
