A supersonic jet is set to become the new Concorde slashing cross-Atlantic flight times in half.
The futuristic first images of Spike Aerospace's trailblazing new aircraft have been released 52 years to the day after Concorde made its maiden flight from Toulouse in France.
Spike's S-512 Supersonic Jet cabin could just be the closest thing to replacing the world’s fastest commercial jet which was grounded in 2003 after whisking passengers across the Atlantic in just three hours.
Unlike current competitors, the S-512 offers both low sonic boom levels and a commitment to offering a 'Zero Carbon' flight by 2040, The Daily Telegraph reports.
Concorde by comparison pumped out triple the amount of much carbon dioxide as its subsonic equivalent before a fatal crash in 2000, led the expensive fleet to be retired in 2003.
Spike Aerospace founder and CEO Vik Kachoria said: "From the beginning of time, people have wanted to travel places faster.
"Getting places faster means increased opportunities. Whether that’s riding a camel instead of walking or flying across the Atlantic in six hours rather than spending four weeks on a steamship.
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"But imagine a six-hour flight becoming a three-hour flight. That’s what supersonic offers."
The Spike S-512 will fly at Mach 1.6 – double the speed of any other aircraft on the market currently and will be able to carry up to eighteen passengers over 3,000 miles in around three and a half hours while keeping a low sonic boom.
Flying between New York and London is the primary goal with routes from London to the Middle East and Asia also being planned for the first commercially-ready aircraft in 2028.
The hope is to progress to a speed of Mach 3.2 over the following decade, which would see flights between London and New York, down to an hour and a half.
To cut down on noise, images show the Spike S-512 without windows which also makes the fuselage stronger and more fuel-efficient.
Kachoria said: "The Concorde was ridiculously noisy. Most conversations between two people are between 65 and 75 decibels and the noise level found within most plane cabins is around 85 decibels.
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"Not quite a vacuum cleaner but not far off. Our windowless aircraft will be about 60 decibels, so lower than the sound of a conversation. No noise-cancelling headphones required."
Ticket prices are expected to gradually lower to become about the same as flying Business Class in a regular plane.
"Remember, almost every technological innovation we’ve had has started out for the uber-rich: cars, telephones, computers, flat-screen TVs – the first ones cost $25,000 in the 90s and now they’re $200," Kachoria added.
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