Commercial Development of Civilian Supersonic Aircraft

August, 2019
IDA document: D-10845
FFRDC: Science and Technology Policy Institute
Type: Documents
Authors:
Authors
Sara A. Carioscia, Jericho W. Locke, Iain D. Boyd, Mark J. Lewis, Richard P. Hallion See more authors
Today’s supersonic aircraft companies anticipate that the market can support several types of vehicles, including both airliners and business jets. The U.S. Government can facilitate leadership in civilian supersonics by removing relevant regulations and unnecessary obstacles, ensuring that applicable regulations are “economically reasonable, technologically practicable, and appropriate for the applicable aircraft” (49 U.S.C. § 44715). The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) asked the IDA Science and Technology Policy Institute (STPI) to assess the potential future of supersonic civilian aircraft, offering options that the Federal Government may consider, as appropriate, to support the commercial supersonic flight industry. These recommendations will complement, inform, and possibly accelerate activities undertaken by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) under the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 (Pub. L. 115–254 Section 181) as well as ongoing efforts within NASA.