Boston, MA, June 29, 2015 – Spike Aerospace is very excited to unveil our latest updates to the Spike S-512 Quiet Supersonic Jet, a stunningly elegant, sleek, and innovative business jet that will sweep passengers to their destinations at supersonic speeds. Flying 450 mph faster than any other civilian jet, the Spike S-512 will enable customers to do more and enjoy more of life. A flight from NYC to London taking just three hours makes day trips for business possible. Or Paris to Dubai for shopping and entertainment – and back home in time for dinner.
The Spike S-512 interior features our luxurious, exclusive Multiplex Digital Cabin, where passengers can enjoy beautiful panoramic views outside the aircraft, a movie, maps, images, or a digital presentation. With room for up to 18 passengers, customers can work or relax in comfort and style with amazing views of the world at their fingertips.
“Flying supersonic is clearly the future of aviation,” says Spike CEO & President Vik Kachoria. “It makes the world smaller and more accessible. For any competitive global business, cutting flight times in half will have significant value. But for people who have busy global lives and want to spend time with the people they love, the Spike S-512 Quiet Supersonic Jet will be a necessity.”
Spike S-512 Design Updates
The new Spike S-512 features significant improvements in design and specifications. Since the original conceptual design, developed in 2013, Spike engineers have been focused on aerodynamic analysis and design optimization to make the Spike S-512 a high-performing, safe, and cost-effective jet. The past 18 months have resulted in significant improvements in all three factors, and also in reducing sonic boom, increasing range, and enhancing comfort.
The most noticeable change to the aircraft’s exterior is the integration of a modified delta wing design. According to Senior Engineer Dr. Anutosh Moitra, “The new delta wing of the S-512 delivers high aerodynamic efficiency and improved flight performance in both low-speed flight and supersonic cruise. The highly swept leading edge reduces wave drag, and consequently reduces fuel burn and increases range.”
The Spike engineering team has also modified the tail of the S-512 to reduce drag and improve aircraft control in supersonic conditions. “Improved stability characteristics of the new S-512 design allowed us to eliminate the horizontal tail, resulting in further reduction of drag and weight,” adds Dr. Moitra.
Spike S-512 Design Process
Every aircraft has to be designed to meet specific mission requirements, including range, number of passengers, speed, payload, high performance (fighter jets), fuel efficiency, and cost. Unfortunately, there are always tradeoffs. If you have high performance, you typically don’t have fuel efficiency. If you carry a high number of passengers you lose out on speed or range. These tradeoffs have to be juggled to design an aircraft that can be engineered, manufactured, and sold at a price customers will pay. Our engineers spend a lot of time coming up with solutions and then seeing how they impact other flight characteristics. Our sales team then explores the tradeoffs with customers in order to gauge market requirements and potential.
That is exactly the process that the Spike S-512 Quiet Supersonic Jet has gone through. As we continue our engineering efforts, there will likely be additional changes to the aircraft that optimize its flight and performance characteristics. This latest design meets at the intersection of engineering, business requirements, and market demand for an incredible supersonic business jet.
