The old dream of the Concorde is more alive than ever (and two Spanish companies are going to be key)

It made its first flight on January 21, 1976. The last, on November 26, 2003. Since then, the shadow of the concord it has always flown above our heads, with more or less credible projects. Now, some companies are making important strides. And they have a Spanish stamp.

The Concorde is one of the most iconic aircraft of history. The only supersonic commercial aircraft. In other words, the only passenger plane capable of overcoming the sound barrier. An aircraft capable of linking Paris with New York in less than three hours, as it was capable of reaching Mach 2.

The only problem is that it was full of issues. Economically speaking, it was not profitable. A work of engineering that had such high costs that not even its tickets to about 12,000 euros (round trip and in 2003) to travel above the speed of sound managed to cover the losses.

Also, traveling above the speed of sound is not allowed if you fly over any population. The noise generated is such that it is only allowed to move in this range of speeds over the sea. On land, the Concorde was throwing about 105-110 decibels of perceived level but hunted over the sea he could impress with his explosion by exceeding the speed of sound.

For one reason or another, the Concorde stopped flying in 2003, also weighed down by the fatal accident of the year 2000, but many have been attempts to revive it. Among them, NASA has proposed a silent supersonic plane, one of the biggest drawbacks faced by this type of vehicle. Is now Boom Supersonic the one that says it can count on a new Concorde in the coming years. And she does it with a Spanish seal.

The new Concorde that speaks Spanish

has been in the paris air showone of the largest aeronautics fairs in the world, where Boom Supersonic has presented its advances some essential parts of your project. The objective of the company is to start production in 2024 and that in 2029 it can already operate commercially.

Your plane will have space to carry between 64 and 80 passengers and says that it has solved part of the costs inherent to the type of vehicle we are talking about. According to his calculations, they have managed to reduce operating costs by 10% and increase aircraft usage time by 25%. Essential data to make it profitable.

In addition, the plane will not be as fast as the Concorde, since it will reach a maximum of Mach 1.7. It is twice the speed of any other commercial flight and, furthermore, over the earth’s surface it will move 20% faster than other commercial aircraft. This will allow you to cover the distance between Paris and New York in about three hours, as was the case with the old plane.

One of the problems you will have to face is your consumption. With Europe determined to put an end to air pollution, it will have to deal with a regulation that pushes to prioritize the sustainable fuels. These will have to gain presence until they represent 85% of the fuel used in 2050.

In order to meet all these requirements, two Spanish companies are part of the project. aernnova will be in charge of airplane wings design. In addition to being a crucial part of the obvious, the concept must be able to support speeds of 2,000 km/h. To do this, it will use particularly narrow wings, with the aim of reducing wind resistance.

The other company that will participate in the project is Aciturri. This company is in charge of empennage. This refers to the stabilizers that are in the tail of the plane and that will be key to being able to fly safely below the speed of sound.

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Photo | Boom Supersonic