European Aircraft Industry: Hypersonic jet is heir to the Concorde and emission-free

Airbus may have left Boeing in the dust with 16 times more worth in confirmed contracts—a whopping $44 billion worth—at the Paris Air Show, but the real draw for audiences was the unveiling of the new heir to the Aerospatiale-BAC Concorde. Airbus’ parent company, European Aeronautic Defense and Space (EADS) presented its concept plane, ZEHST last Sunday.

The name stands for Zero Emission Hyper Sonic Transport, and it will reach speeds of 3,125 mph fueled by a mix of liquid hydrogen and oxygen. The plane intends to carry 100 passengers, launch from a regular runway and though it performs a very steep takeoff (see video below,) it will not have the sonic boom of the Concorde. How nice. Imagine taking off from JFK in a silent rocket and an hour later landing at Heathrow. Spending a weekend in Sydney could be a simple three hour jaunt.

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