Spike Aerospace, one of a handful of companies working to bring back supersonic civilian flight, said on Wednesday they will fly their first SX-1.2 demonstrator aircraft by the end of this month. The scaled, proof-of-concept unmanned aircraft will help validate the aerodynamics of the planned S-512 supersonic jet, the company said. “We’re very excited to be crossing this milestone and going from conceptual design and pretty pictures to an actual flying aircraft,” said Vik Kachoria, CEO of Spike Aerospace. The company says they plan to fly crewed supersonic flights by the end of 2019, then fly the full-scale supersonic S-512 airplane by 2021 and start deliveries in 2023.
The test flights on the SX-1.2will aim to validate stability and control at low speeds, which is critical for takeoff and landings, the company said.The SX-1.2 will be followed by a series of successively larger and faster aircraft, leading ultimately to the supersonic demonstrator. Each time, the flight envelope will be expanded. Spike says they are already building the third generation of demonstrators.”As we gather the low- and high-speed data, Spike Aerospace continues to refine the designs of our crewed supersonic demonstrators,” Kachoria said.
