The future of supersonic passenger aviation. Faster than sound: past, present and future of supersonic aviation. New passenger aircraft

Air travel is a common occurrence in modern society. When most people imagine a commercial airliner, what immediately comes to mind is a standard airplane. However, aerospace engineers around the world are developing aircraft that could revolutionize air travel.

1. Aether Airship

Although Boeing recently began production of the 787 airliner model, the company's engineers are already working on the next project. This time, Boeing plans to do something radically different from its standard designs and is considering the possibility of creating a passenger airliner based on the design. IN at the moment NASA and Boeing are experimenting with aircraft of similar designs for both commercial and military use.

To test its aerodynamic capabilities, they built the X-48, an unmanned "flying wing" jet. During tests, it turned out that such an aircraft has a high payload, has better handling than expected, and is also extremely economical. Prototypes of passenger airliners are expected within 20 years.

3. Reaction Engines A2

Another breakthrough in the aerospace industry is hypersonic airliners. The Concorde and Tu-144 made history as the first commercial supersonic airliners, and now engineers hope to develop airliners that can reach speeds in excess of Mach 5. One of the leaders in these developments today is the British company Reaction Engines Limited, which has developed the concept of an airliner called A2.

This futuristic aircraft can fly at supersonic speeds and be environmentally friendly. The A2 uses Scimitar engines, a further development of the SABER engine. But while SABER uses rocket engines, Scimitar uses a hybrid ramjet engine and a conventional air-breathing engine in parallel.

When flying at high speed, a hybrid ramjet is used, and when taking off and landing, a conventional jet engine is used. This project uses liquid hydrogen as fuel, which also cools the engines. Due to concerns about sonic shock waves, the A2 will fly over populated regions only at the speed of sound, and at its maximum speed the A2 will be able to fly from Australia to Northern Europe in just five hours.

4. Bombardier Antipode

Canadian company Bombardier recently announced the development of the Antipode, its concept for the business aircraft of the future. Although this hypersonic airliner will only be able to carry 10 people, it will fly at speeds of... Mach 24. At this speed, Antipode will be able to get from New York to London in 11 minutes. The Antipode concept uses hypersonic jet engines (scramjet engines), which have no moving parts such as blades or compressors.

In order to get to the speeds required for scramjet operation (which would force air at ultra-high speeds into the engine due to the aircraft's sheer speed), the Antipode would use rocket boosters when taking off from the ground. After the plane reaches cruising altitude and speed, the scramjet engines will turn on, which will accelerate the airliner to a speed of Mach 24.

5. Boeing Pelican

In the early 2000s, Boeing explored the possibility of building a new transoceanic Pelican that would use the ground effect. Although the aircraft was primarily intended to transport cargo, the concept would also be applicable to commercial airliners. A huge aircraft was designed (a double-deck structure with a length of 122 m and a wingspan of 150 meters) that would fly like an ekranoplan, essentially gliding over the water at a height of 6 meters.

When flying over land, the Pelican would fly at normal airplane altitude. Although the project was promising, Boeing abandoned development since the early 2000s for unknown reasons.

6. SAX-40

Even when planes fly subsonic speeds, their engine noise annoys people living around airports and can cause adverse health effects. To combat this problem, a team of scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Cambridge developed the SAX-40, a concept for a virtually silent aircraft. Airplanes make noise mainly due to imperfect aerodynamics, so the SAX-40 was made to be very streamlined. Because of its unusual shape, the SAX-40 has more lift than a conventional aircraft.

That is why the aircraft does not have flaps, which provide additional lift during takeoff and landing, which accordingly reduces engine noise. The engine air intakes are located on the top of the aircraft, i.e. the fuselage acts as a natural barrier to noise. In order to reduce engine exhaust noise, the SAX-40 uses a variable exhaust system. Thanks to its design, the aircraft will produce only 63 decibels of noise during takeoff and landing. For comparison, the noise of a conventional airplane during takeoff is 100 decibels.

7.SpaceLiner

The German Aerospace Center (GAC) is currently developing its own high-speed jet design. What's remarkable is that GAC, rather than using standard designs, is developing a spaceplane called the SpaceLiner. The concept involves a two-stage design: an unmanned launch stage - a cryogenic accelerator and a passenger suborbital stage designed for 50 passengers.

The accelerator delivers the SpaceLiner to an altitude of 80 km, where it accelerates to a speed of Mach 25. This would allow such a device to fly from Australia to Europe in 90 minutes. At the end of the flight, the spaceplane lands like any ordinary plane. SpaceLiner is also environmentally friendly, as it uses liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen as rocket fuel. The start of operation is expected in 2050.

8.AWWA-QG Progress Eagle

The AWWA-QG Progress Eagle is one of the most complex concept aircraft currently under development. It's worth starting with the fact that the plane is simply huge - the three-tier cabin can accommodate 800 passengers. Because of its enormous size, the Progress Eagle folds its wings after landing to avoid the need for reconstruction at modern airports.

The Progress Eagle is driven by six hydrogen engines, which also provide electricity to all equipment. However, most of the electricity will come from the panels solar panels, built into the wings. These panels use a special quantum material to improve their efficiency. The aircraft is expected to enter service no earlier than 2030.

9. Concorde 2

Although Concorde, the first supersonic passenger aircraft, was eventually retired, development of its successor has begun today. Last year, Airbus won a tender to develop a new aircraft called Concorde 2. The second version of the aircraft, like its predecessor, is expected to revolutionize flights by becoming the first hypersonic passenger aircraft.

Not only will the airliner have a cruising speed of Mach 4.5, but the plane has many other strange features, such as its propulsion system (Concorde 2 will use three types of engines: ramjet, turbojet and rocket engine).

The plane will use a turbojet engine to take off. After this, the rocket engine will turn on, which will allow you to reach cruising altitude and supersonic speed. And finally, the ramjet engines on the wings will accelerate to high altitude airplane up to cruising speed. Although Concorde 2 will be faster than the original aircraft, it will also have fewer passenger seats- only 20.

10.Mobula

The Mobula airliner concept, designed by Chris Cook of Coventry University, is one of the strangest to be seen in recent memory. It's essentially a hybrid. cruise ship and a passenger aircraft that can carry more than 1,000 passengers on five decks. Like the Boeing Pelican, the Mobula is also an ekranoplane. Remarkably, the plane can also swim.


When might a new supersonic passenger plane take to the skies? Business jet based on the Tu-160 bomber: real? How to silently break the sound barrier?

Tu-160 - the largest and most powerful in history military aviation supersonic aircraft and aircraft with variable wing geometry. Among the pilots he received the nickname "White Swan". Photo: AP

Do supersonic passenger cars have a future? - I asked the outstanding Russian aircraft designer Genrikh Novozhilov not long ago.

Of course there is. At least a supersonic business aircraft will definitely appear,” answered Genrikh Vasilievich. - I have had the opportunity to talk with American businessmen more than once. They clearly stated: “If such an aircraft appeared, Mr. Novozhilov, then no matter how expensive it was, they would instantly buy it from you.” Speed, altitude and range are three factors that are always relevant.

Yes, they are relevant. The dream of any businessman: to fly across the ocean in the morning, conclude a major deal, and return home in the evening. Modern airplanes fly no faster than 900 km/h. A supersonic business jet will have a cruising speed of about 1900 km per hour. What prospects for the business world!

That is why neither Russia, nor America, nor Europe have ever given up attempts to create a new supersonic passenger car. But the history of those that have already flown - the Soviet Tu-144 and the Anglo-French Concorde - has taught us a lot.

This December it will be half a century since the Tu-144 made its first flight. And a year later, the liner showed exactly what it was capable of: it broke the sound barrier. He picked up a speed of 2.5 thousand km/h at an altitude of 11 km. This event went down in history. There are still no analogues of passenger aircraft in the world that are capable of repeating such a maneuver.

"One Hundred and Forty Four" opened a fundamentally new page in the global aircraft industry. They say that at one of the meetings at the CPSU Central Committee, designer Andrei Tupolev reported to Khrushchev: the car is turning out to be quite voracious. But he just waved his hand: your job is to wipe the noses of the capitalists, but we have enough kerosene...

The nose was wiped. They filled themselves with kerosene.

However, the European competitor, which took off later, was also not distinguished by its efficiency. Thus, in 1978, nine Concordes brought their companies about $60 million in losses. And only government subsidies saved the situation. Nevertheless, the “Anglo-French” flew until November 2003. But the Tu-144 was written off much earlier. Why?

First of all, Khrushchev’s optimism did not come true: an energy crisis broke out in the world and kerosene prices went up. The supersonic first-born was immediately dubbed “a boa constrictor around Aeroflot’s neck.” The enormous fuel consumption also knocked out the designed flight range: the Tu-144 did not reach either Khabarovsk or Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Only from Moscow to Alma-Ata.

And if only that. A 200-ton “iron”, cruising over densely populated areas at supersonic speed, literally blew up the entire space along the route. Complaints poured in: cow milk yields fell, chickens stopped laying eggs, acid rain crushed them... Today you can’t say for sure where the truth is and where the lies are. But the fact remains: Concorde flew only over the ocean.

Finally, the most important thing is disasters. One - in June 1973 at the air show in Paris Le Bourget, as they say, in full view of the whole planet: the crew of test pilot Kozlov wanted to demonstrate the capabilities of the Soviet airliner... The other - five years later. Then a test flight was carried out with engines of a new series: they were just supposed to pull the plane to the required range.

Concorde also did not escape tragedy: the plane crashed in July 2000 while taking off from Charles de Gaulle airport. Ironically, it crashed almost where the Tu-144 once did. 109 people on board and four on the ground were killed. Regular passenger transportation resumed only a year later. But a series of incidents followed, and this supersonic aircraft was also put to rest.

On December 31, 1968, the first flight of the Tu-144 took place, two months earlier than the Concorde. And on June 5, 1969, at an altitude of 11,000 meters, our plane was the first in the world to break the sound barrier. Photo: Sergey Mikheev/ RG

Today, at a new stage of technology development, scientists need to find a balance between contradictory factors: good aerodynamics of the new supersonic aircraft, low fuel consumption, as well as strict restrictions on noise and sonic boom.

How realistic is it to create a new passenger supersonic aircraft based on the Tu-160 bomber? From a purely engineering point of view, it’s quite possible, experts say. And in history there are examples when military aircraft successfully “removed their shoulder straps” and flew “to civilian life”: for example, the Tu-104 was created on the basis long-range bomber Tu-16, and Tu-114 - the Tu-95 bomber. In both cases, it was necessary to redo the fuselage - change the wing layout, expand the diameter. In fact, these were new aircraft, and quite successful ones. By the way, an interesting detail: when the Tu-114 first flew to New York, there was neither a ramp nor a tractor suitable for the height at the stunned airport...

At a minimum, similar work will be required for the conversion of the Tu-160. However, how cost effective will this solution be? Everything needs to be carefully assessed.

How many such planes do you need? Who will fly them and where? How commercially available will they be for passengers? How soon will the development costs pay off?.. Tickets on the same Tu-144 cost 1.5 times more than usual, but even such a high cost did not cover operating costs.

Meanwhile, according to experts, the first Russian supersonic administrative aircraft (business jet) can be designed in seven to eight years if the engine reserves are available. Such an aircraft can accommodate up to 50 people. The total demand in the domestic market is predicted at 20-30 cars at a price of 100-120 million dollars.

A new generation of serial supersonic passenger aircraft may appear around 2030

On projects supersonic business jets Designers are working on both sides of the ocean. Everyone is looking for new layout solutions. Some offer an atypical tail, some a completely unusual wing, some a fuselage with a curved central axis...

TsAGI specialists are developing the SDS/SPS project ("supersonic business aircraft / supersonic passenger aircraft"): according to the plan, transatlantic flights at a distance of up to 8600 km it will be able to perform at a cruising speed of at least 1900 km/h. Moreover, the cabin will be transformable - from 80-seat to 20-seat VIP class.

And last summer at the air show in Zhukovsky, one of the most interesting was a model of a high-speed civil aircraft created by TsAGI scientists as part of the international project HEXAFLY-INT. This aircraft must fly at a speed of more than 7-8 thousand km/h, corresponding to Mach 7 or 8.

But for a high-speed civil aircraft to become a reality, a huge range of problems must be solved. They are associated with materials, hydrogen power plant, its integration with the airframe and obtaining high aerodynamic efficiency of the aircraft itself.

And what is absolutely certain: design features the designed winged aircraft will be clearly non-standard.

Competently

Sergey Chernyshev, general manager TsAGI, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences:

The level of sonic boom (a sharp pressure drop in the shock wave) from the Tu-144 was 100-130 pascals. But modern research has shown that it can be increased to 15-20. Moreover, reduce the volume of the sonic boom to 65 decibels, which is equivalent to noise big city. There are still no official standards in the world regarding the permissible level of sonic boom. And most likely it will be determined no earlier than 2022.

We have already proposed the appearance of a demonstrator of a supersonic civil aircraft of the future. The sample must demonstrate the ability to reduce sonic boom in supersonic cruise flight and noise in the airport area. Several options are being considered: an aircraft for 12-16 passengers, also for 60-80. There is an option for a very small business aircraft - for 6-8 passengers. These are different weights. In one case, the car will weigh approximately 50 tons, and in another - 100-120, etc. But we start with the first of the designated supersonic aircraft.

According to various estimates, today there is already an unrealized market need for fast flights for business people on airplanes with a passenger capacity of 12-16 people. And, of course, the car must fly a distance of at least 7-8 thousand kilometers along transatlantic routes. The cruising speed will be Mach 1.8-2, that is, approximately twice the speed of sound. This speed is a technological barrier to the use of conventional aluminum materials in airframe construction. Therefore, the dream of scientists is to make an airplane entirely from temperature-controlled composites. And there are good developments.

Clear requirements for the aircraft must be determined by the launch customer, and then at the stages of preliminary design and development work, some changes in the original appearance of the aircraft obtained at the preliminary design stage are possible. But the sound principles for reducing sonic boom will remain unchanged.

The short passenger operation of the supersonic Tu-144 was limited to flights from Moscow to Alma-Ata. Photo: Boris Korzin/ TASS Photo Chronicle

I think we are 10-15 years away from a flying prototype. In the near future, according to our plans, a flying demonstrator should appear, the appearance of which is being worked out. His main task- demonstrate the basic technologies for creating a supersonic aircraft with low level sonic boom. This is a necessary stage of work. A new generation serial supersonic aircraft may appear on the horizon in 2030.

Oleg Smirnov, Honored Pilot of the USSR, Chairman of the Commission on civil aviation Public Council of Rostransnadzor:

Make a passenger supersonic aircraft based on the Tu-160? For our engineers - absolutely real. No problem. Moreover, this car is very good, with remarkable aerodynamic qualities, a good wing and fuselage. However, today any passenger aircraft must first of all meet international airworthiness and technical requirements. The discrepancies, when comparing a bomber and a passenger plane, are more than 50 percent. For example, when some people say that when remodeling it is necessary to “inflate the fuselage,” you need to understand: the Tu-160 itself weighs more than 100 tons. “Inflate” means adding weight. This means increasing fuel consumption, reducing speed and altitude, and making the aircraft absolutely unattractive for any airline in terms of its operating costs.

To create a supersonic aircraft for business aviation, we need new avionics, new aircraft engines, new materials, new types of fuel. On the Tu-144, kerosene, as they say, flowed like a river. Today this is impossible. And most importantly, there must be mass demand for such an aircraft. One or two cars ordered from millionaires will not solve the financial problem. Airlines will have to lease it and “work off” the cost. On whom? Naturally, on the passengers. From an economic point of view, the project will be a failure.

Sergey Melnichenko, General Director of ICAA "Flight Safety":

Over the almost 35 years that have passed since the start of serial production of the Tu-160, technology has advanced, and this will have to be taken into account when thoroughly modernizing the existing aircraft. Aircraft makers say it is much easier and cheaper to build a new aircraft according to a new concept than to rebuild an old one.

Another question: if the Tu-160 is rebuilt specifically as a business jet, will Arab sheikhs still be interested in it? However, there are a few "buts". The aircraft will need to obtain an international certificate (and the European Union and the USA are behind its issuance), which is very problematic. In addition, we will need new efficient engines, which we do not have. Those that are available do not consume fuel, but drink.

If the plane is converted to carry economy passengers (which is unlikely), then the question is - where to fly and who to carry? Last year we only just approached the figure of 100 million passengers carried. In the USSR these figures were much higher. The number of airfields has decreased several times. Not everyone who would like to fly to the European part of the country from Kamchatka and Primorye can afford it. Tickets for a “fuel-guzzling plane” will be more expensive than for Boeings and Airbuses.

If the plane is planned to be rebuilt purely for the interests of the heads of large companies, then this will most likely be the case. But then this question concerns them purely, and not the Russian economy and people. Although in this case it is difficult to imagine that flights will be carried out only to Siberia or to Far East. Problem with area noise. And if the updated plane is not allowed to fly to Sardinia, then who needs it?

With a good source of energy, even a rock or an entire house will fly, but there are problems with this because there is little progress in the development of energy production and storage. I can also add that the American Knight Hawk stealth aircraft in general should not fly, but thanks to the on-board computer and electronics, which in real time monitors the critical flight parameters of the aircraft and does not allow and limits the transition of the aircraft to critical flight modes. Electronics did something that lifted a flying iron into the air. All these concepts are designed for new nanotechnology materials and a completely different type of engine. Who knows, maybe these techno fantasies will fly. The dream liner took off because it used carbon, carbon, plastic, carbon fiber, and fiberglass. Thanks to lithium-ion batteries, it has become possible to create a flying motorcycle or quadcopter. The main thing is a powerful and economical source of energy, and in aviation and spacecraft this is a huge problem

Source: © sites With a good source of energy, even a rock or an entire house can fly, but there are problems with this because progress in the development of energy production and storage is weak. I can also add that the American Knight Hawk stealth aircraft in general should not fly, but thanks to the on-board computer and electronics, which in real time monitors the critical flight parameters of the aircraft and does not allow and limits the transition of the aircraft to critical flight modes. Electronics did something that lifted a flying iron into the air. All these concepts are designed for new nanotechnology materials and a completely different type of engine. Who knows, maybe these techno fantasies will fly. The dream liner took off because it used carbon, carbon, plastic, carbon fiber, and fiberglass. Thanks to lithium-ion batteries, it has become possible to create a flying motorcycle or quadcopter. The main thing is a powerful and economical source of energy, and in aviation and spacecraft this is a huge problem

Source: © Fishki.net With a good source of energy, even a rock or an entire house will fly, but there are problems with this because progress in the development of energy production and storage is weak. I can also add that the American Knight Hawk stealth aircraft in general should not fly, but thanks to the on-board computer and electronics, which in real time monitors the critical flight parameters of the aircraft and does not allow and limits the transition of the aircraft to critical flight modes. Electronics did something that lifted a flying iron into the air. All these concepts are designed for new nanotechnology materials and a completely different type of engine. Who knows, maybe these techno fantasies will fly. The dream liner took off because it used carbon, carbon, plastic, carbon fiber, and fiberglass. Thanks to lithium-ion batteries, it has become possible to create a flying motorcycle or quadcopter. The main thing is a powerful and economical source of energy, and in aviation and spacecraft this is a huge problem

Aviation technology has developed at an astonishing rate in recent decades. Airliners are being created that consume less fuel, and developments in this direction continue. Future passenger aircraft is associated with even greater changes that will affect not only the design and design, but also additional possibilities for using the devices, as well as the energy sources used.

New projects in aviation

For a long time on the world market such largest companies like Boeing and Airbus, there were no competitors. But the situation is changing, and the influence of other manufacturers on the world market is increasingly increasing. In the near future, it is planned to implement innovative projects to create passenger airliners and small private planes or helicopters.

At the same time, some aircraft designers believe that the future of civil aviation is connected with aircraft powered by electricity, while others are busy developing supersonic airliners.

Projects of future supersonic aircraft with their outlines resemble aircraft familiar from films about star wars and works of famous science fiction writers:

  1. The Aerion AS2 supersonic aircraft is scheduled for release in 2023.
  2. NASA plans to present a prototype of the QueSST supersonic airliner, which flies almost silently, in 2020.
  3. The Japanese Space Agency is testing the D-SEND 2 supersonic glider, a commercial model of which is planned to be built by 2030.
  4. British engineers are working on a project called Skylon: they are testing a type of engine for an aircraft that will fly at speeds 5 times the speed of sound.

The founder of Virgin Galactic, Richard Branson, announced his readiness to launch a dozen into the sky, the era of which, according to the businessman, is returning. Previously about the development of supersonic passenger aviation NASA said. Despite the many years of “pausing” the mass production of supersonic aircraft, this topic continued to be discussed and designers did not stop working on projects.

Screemr

When it comes to the future of travel, passengers' top priority is getting to their destination as quickly as possible. It is speed that lies in the concept of the supersonic project. passenger airliner Screemr, introduced in 2015 by Canadian engineer Charles Bombardier and designer Ray Mattison. The name of the founder of Bombardier is quite well known. As for his partner, designer Ray Mattison has already worked at Cirrus Aircraft and Exodus Machines, and he also owns the concept of a hybrid aircraft with a motorcycle “Icarus” (Icarus wingless aircraft).

The Screemr plane must travel at 10 times the speed of sound and fly from London to New York, for example, in just half an hour. According to the authors of the project, Screemr will be launched using an electromagnetic gun and fly on a liquid rocket engine (kerosene or liquid oxygen). As a result, it should accelerate to 12.4 thousand km/h. It is assumed that the Screemr cabin will be able to accommodate up to 75 passengers, in addition, such an aircraft is expected to operate transcontinental flights.

Lapcat

The Lapcat was developed by designers from Reaction Engines, and was financially supported by the British aerospace company BAE Systems. According to the developers, the Lapcat should reach speeds of up to Mach 5, that is, about 6 thousand km/h, which is two and a half times the speed of the Concorde. Thus, it will be possible to fly, say, from London to Sydney in just four hours (flight time on a regular plane will be 20 hours). IN aircraft It is planned to use the Yatagan conceptual engine, which exploits the thermodynamic properties of liquid hydrogen.

"Concord 2"

The project of the supersonic passenger airliner Concorde 2, capable of flying at a speed of Mach 4.5, was presented a year ago by an aircraft manufacturer Airbus company. A plane should fly from London to New York in just an hour, and from Tokyo to Los Angeles in three hours. According to the developers, Concorde 2 takes off vertically and flies along specially designated air corridors at an altitude of approximately 30.5 km. The YouTube channel even posted a video schematically demonstrating the aircraft's capabilities. It was described as "the tallest roller coaster with steep ascents and descents and high speeds."

The patent obtained by Airbus describes three different types engines: ramjet, twin turbojet and rocket. It is planned that they will be used at different stages of the aircraft’s journey to its destination. At the same time, according to the engineers, unlike the first Concorde, the sonic boom (a classic obstacle to the development of supersonic air transport) in Concorde 2 will be quieter. It is true that the number of passengers that the new plane can carry on board is limited to only two dozen, which means that the flight will be very expensive.

Antipode

This is another concept presented by the restless Charles Bombardier at the end of January this year. If previously supersonic projects limited themselves to reality, then technical specifications look absolutely fantastic. Its maximum speed is Mach 24, which is 12 times the speed of the Concorde. Therefore, a New Yorker can fly on such a plane to London in 11 minutes, to Shanghai in 24 minutes, and to Sydney in 32 minutes. Almost teleportation.

Engineer Joseph Haseltine, who was involved in the Bombardier project, proposed using an innovative aerodynamic phenomenon called “long penetration mode” (LPM): special nozzles on the nose of the aircraft draw in air, cooling the airframe with it. This would solve the problem of the aircraft overheating at this speed. Antipode will be able to take off from any airfield using reusable booster rockets. They are attached to the wings of the aircraft and, when it gains the required speed and altitude, they are dropped and returned back to base. A serious disadvantage of the project is the capacity of the aircraft - the cabin is designed for only 10 passengers. Therefore, it would be more appropriate to use it on expensive business trips or as a military aircraft.

Projects of supersonic aircraft of the future

 

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