Aerion Corporation and Spirit AeroSystems have entered into a collaboration agreement for the preliminary design of the supersonic AS2's forward, pressurised fuselage. Spirit is based in Wichita, Kansas and is one of the world's largest first-tier aerostructures manufacturers. The company builds several important pieces of Boeing aircraft, including the fuselage of the 737 and portions of the 787 fuselage.

“Joining a project team this early allows us to apply our technical expertise and commercial best practices to make the most positive impact,” says president and CEO of Spirit AeroSystems Tom Gentile. “We can create cost-efficient, innovative engineering solutions that take into account our efficient manufacturing processes. We are proud to be selected by Aerion for this programme and look forward to contributing to the success of this groundbreaking new aircraft.”

Aerion chairman, CEO and president Tom Vice adds: “The AS2 will revolutionise global mobility. We are proud to partner with Spirit AeroSystems. It is a leader in aircraft composite structures and we are excited that it has joined the AS2 team.”

Spirit expects to begin preliminary development immediately. Aerion's 12-passenger AS2 is designed to be up to 70 per cent faster than today's business aircraft. Its cruise speed is expected to be Mach 1.4, about 1,000 mph, saving as much as three hours on a transatlantic flight and more than five hours across the Pacific.