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Aerion Corporation (Reno, Nev., U.S.) and Spirit AeroSystems (Wichita, Kan., US) announced February 21 that they have entered into a collaboration agreement for the preliminary design of the AS2's forward, pressurized fuselage.

Spirit expects to immediately begin preliminary development efforts. Aerion’s 12-passenger AS2 is said to be up to 70 percent faster than today’s business aircraft. Supersonic cruise speed is reportedly Mach 1.4, about 1,000 mph, saving as much as three hours travel time across the Atlantic and more than five hours across the Pacific.

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

“The AS2 will revolutionize global mobility,” says Aerion chairman, CEO and president Tom Vice. “We are proud to partner with Spirit AeroSystems. They are a leader in aircraft composite structures and we are excited that they have joined the AS2 team.”