Aircraft Industry: Plan to build superfast jet - by Geoffrey Thomas

Spike Aerospace

Boston-based Spike Aerospace is designing the world's first supersonic business jet, which will be capable of flying from Perth to Sydney in less than two hours.

Spike is working with a consortium including Boeing, Gulfstream, Airbus and NASA on the project.
Targeted at business users, the Spike S-512 will carry up to 18 passengers in luxury and will cost $80 million. It could fly from Perth to Sydney in one hour and 50 minutes.

The plane will have a range of 7400km and will be 40m long with an 18m wingspan. Spike hopes to make the first deliveries by 2018.

However, the company said there were many obstacles - the biggest being the plane's sonic boom.

Read more: Plan to build superfast jet - The West Australian