Conceptual aerodynamic design of an executive supersonic passenger aircraft – ESPA

Abstract

Despite 50 years of technological advancement since the inception of Concorde, research on supersonic passenger aircraft has only recently resulted in design and flight test of several small 12- to 55-passenger business jets with supersonic cruises between Mach 1.2 and 2.2. Analytical research designs of larger 300-passenger aircraft have been conducted only to speeds of Mach 2.0 and 2.2, mainly avoiding moving beyond turbojet propulsion. This research extends on an earlier multifactor regression sizing study to determine in greater design detail what the configuration of a 200-passenger Mach 3.0 aircraft could be using extant technology. This research article is the first part of two and covers the conceptual aircraft design evolution focussing on the aerodynamics, wing and fuselage. In contrast, the second article covers engine conceptual design and placement. Wing shape optimization is performed using fundamental CFD analysis to arrive at a configuration suitable for both subsonic and supersonic flight. Noise considerations and shock wave formation drive further design iterations based on the research literature. The viability of this research design informs a future multidisciplinary optimization like those recently published in the literature for smaller supersonic business jets.