To Affinity, and beyond! General Electric announce plans for an engine which will power the first supersonic commercial flight since CONCORDE retired 15 years ago

  • The Affinity engine is being developed by General Electric Aviation
  • It will be used in an upcoming business jet known as the AS2 supersonic
  • GE says the project will kickstart a renaissance of commercial supersonic flight
  • The AS2 is expected to take to the skies for the first time in 2023 before formal certification in 2025 

General Electric (GE) has announced it is working on a new engine that will make travelling faster than the speed of sound a commercial reality for the first time since the demise of Concorde.

The Affinity engine will be used in the upcoming Aerion AS2 supersonic business jet and GE says it will operate at altitudes of up to 60,000ft (18,000m) and speeds of up to Mach 1.4 - 1,000mph (1,600kmh).

It is also designed to comply with stringent noise limitations, which means it can travel subsonic over land as well as supersonic over water.

The AS2 will take to the skies for the first time in 2023 and GE is hoping to go into full production by 2025.

Developers of the engine hope the success of the AS2 will act as a springboard - launching a 'renaissance' of commercial supersonic flight.

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The Affinity engine will be used in the upcoming Aerion AS2 supersonic business jet and GE says it will operate at altitudes of up to 60,000ft (18,000m) and speeds of Mach 1.4 - 1,000mph (1,600kmh)

The Affinity engine will be used in the upcoming Aerion AS2 supersonic business jet and GE says it will operate at altitudes of up to 60,000ft (18,000m) and speeds of Mach 1.4 - 1,000mph (1,600kmh)

The AS2 (artist's impression pictured) will take to the skies for the first time in 2023 and GE is hoping for certification by 2025

The AS2 (artist's impression pictured) will take to the skies for the first time in 2023 and GE is hoping for certification by 2025

This sleek AS2 jet that will feature the Affinity engine is being built in collaboration with Lockheed Martin, GE Aviation and Honeywell.

The firm claims the project will slash the duration of transatlantic journeys by three hours.

Further details of the proposed engine are sparse but GE says the Affinity will be superior to the Rolls-Royce engine that powered Concorde.

Affinity is being made with the combined expertise of GE's fighter jet division and the specialists who worked on engines for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

GE said in a statement: 'The Affinity is a new class of medium bypass ratio engines that provide exceptional and balanced performance across supersonic and subsonic flights. 

'The Affinity integrates a unique blend of proven military supersonic experience, commercial reliability and the most advanced business jet engine technologies.' 

The new engines will implement simple changes that are highly effective in reducing operating costs and increasing the plane's range. 

A sweeping leading edge on the wing and a new fuselage design will help reduce air drag over the wing by up to 60 per cent, and overall drag by 20 per cent. 

The engine for the AS2 is is designed to comply with stringent noise limitations and will therefore be able to travel subsonic over land as well as supersonic over water

The engine for the AS2 is is designed to comply with stringent noise limitations and will therefore be able to travel subsonic over land as well as supersonic over water

Further details of the proposed engine are sparse but GE says the Affinity will be better than the Rolls-Royce engine that powered Concorde and is a culmination of the firm's fighter jet experience and building engines for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner

Further details of the proposed engine are sparse but GE says the Affinity will be better than the Rolls-Royce engine that powered Concorde and is a culmination of the firm's fighter jet experience and building engines for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner

The new engines will have a sweeping leading edge on the wing and a new fuselage design will help reduce air drag over the wing by up to 60 per cent, and overall drag by 20 per cent

The new engines will have a sweeping leading edge on the wing and a new fuselage design will help reduce air drag over the wing by up to 60 per cent, and overall drag by 20 per cent

This addresses two of the key issues that Concorde faced towards the end of the plane's dominance in the field. 

A string of high-profile accidents and an ageing fleet also compounded the issues of the Concorde project, which was affectionately known as 'The Queen of the Skies'.  

'Our mission is to enhance global mobility with supersonic speed, starting with business aviation, and following with successively faster and larger designs for business and commercial aviation,' said Aerion CEO Tom Vice. 

'GE Aviation is making this new efficient, sustainable supersonic era possible through its pioneering work on the Affinity engine.'  

Concorde was retired in 2003 and commercial supersonic flight has remained unobtainable since. Developers of the engine hope the success of the AS2 business jet will act as a springboard - launching a commercial supersonic 'renaissance'

Concorde was retired in 2003 and commercial supersonic flight has remained unobtainable since. Developers of the engine hope the success of the AS2 business jet will act as a springboard - launching a commercial supersonic 'renaissance'

Concorde was retired in 2003 and commercial supersonic flight has remained unobtainable since. 

Projects from various companies, including Nasa, have teased the possibility of a renaissance but it has yet to materialise. 

AS2 will be almost three times faster than most modern-day airliners – with the target top speed of Mach 1.8 equating to 1,381mph (2,224km/h).

This proposed top speed will allow AS2 to surpass the maximum speed of Concorde by only 30mph (50kph).

'In the last 50 years, business aircraft speeds have increased by less than 10 per cent,' said Brad Mottier, GE Vice President and General Manager for Business and General Aviation and Integrated Services. 

'Instead of going faster, cabins have increased in size and become more comfortable - and range has become longer. 

'With large, comfortable cabin, long range aircraft in the marketplace, the next step is speed... made possible with GE's Affinity.'   

A BRIEF HISTORY OF CONCORDE: THE FIRST COMMERCIAL SUPERSONIC JET

Concorde was a turbojet-powered supersonic passenger jet that was operated until 2003. 

It had a maximum speed over twice the speed of sound at Mach 2.04 (1,354 mph or 2,180 k per hour at cruise altitude) and could seat 92 to 128 passengers.

It was first flown in 1969, but needed further tests to establish it as viable as a commercial aircraft.

Concorde entered service in 1976 and continued flying for the next 27 years. 

It is one of only two supersonic transports to have been operated commercially. 

The other is the Soviet-built Tupolev Tu-144, which ran for a much shorter period of time before it was grounded and retired due to safety and budget issues.

Concorde was a turbojet-powered supersonic passenger jet that was operated until 2003. It had a maximum speed over twice the speed of sound at Mach 2.04 (1,354 mph or 2,180 k per hour at cruise altitude) and could seat 92 to 128 passengers

Concorde was a turbojet-powered supersonic passenger jet that was operated until 2003. It had a maximum speed over twice the speed of sound at Mach 2.04 (1,354 mph or 2,180 k per hour at cruise altitude) and could seat 92 to 128 passengers

Concorde was jointly developed and manufactured by Aérospatiale and the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) under an Anglo-French treaty. 

Concorde's name, meaning harmony or union, reflects the cooperation on the project between the United Kingdom and France. 

In the UK, any or all of the type are known simply as 'Concorde', without an article. 

Twenty aircraft were built including six prototypes and development aircraft.

Air France (AF) and British Airways (BA) each received seven aircraft. 

The research and development failed to make a profit and the two airlines bought the aircraft at a huge discount.

Among other destinations, Concorde flew regular transatlantic flights from London Heathrow and Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport to New York-JFK, Washington Dulles and Barbados.

It flew these routes in less than half the time of other airliners. 

Over time, the aircraft became profitable when it found a customer base willing to pay for flights on what was for most of its career the fastest commercial airliner in the world.

The aircraft is regarded by many as an aviation icon and an engineering marvel, but it was also criticized for being uneconomical, lacking a credible market, and consuming more fuel to carry fewer passengers than a Boeing 747.

Concorde was retired in 2003 due to a general downturn in the commercial aviation industry after the type's only crash in 2000, the September 11 attacks in 2001, and a decision by Airbus, the successor to Aérospatiale and BAC, to discontinue maintenance support.

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