Paris (CNN) — It turns out supersonic aircraft are just like buses: You wait years for one, and then two come along at once.
Almost eight years after Concorde touched down for the last time, plane manufacturers and designers at the Paris Air Show have unveiled rival “son of supersonic” concepts.
The first, aircraft manufacturer EADS’s Zero Emission Hyper Sonic Transport (ZEHST), will be powered by biofuel made from seaweed, carrying passengers above the Earth’s atmosphere and dramatically cutting flight times.
EADS says the plane’s three engine types — conventional jets, rockets and supersonic “ramjets” — will allow it to speed at Mach 4, around 5,000 kmh.
Categories: Technology