Boeing’s hypersonic concept aircraft. (Boeing)
Boeing unveiled the commercial aviation industry’s first passenger-carrying hypersonic concept aircraft at the 2018 AIAA Aviation forum this week. The OEM provided little details about a timeline for the introduction of such an aircraft but said it is just one of several hypersonic concepts its engineers are currently researching.
The concept aircraft could have either commercial or military applications, according to Boeing.
“We’re excited about the potential of hypersonic technology to connect the world faster than ever before,” said Kevin Bowcutt, senior technical fellow and chief scientist of hypersonics. Bowcutt believes the concept could become a reality within the next “20 to 30 years.”
Boeing, which separately announced an investment in an on-demand drone delivery company called Matternet through its HorizonX Ventures subsidiary at the show, will have the conceptual hypersonic aircraft on display at the 2018 Farnborough Air Show in July.