Air Force transport jets for VIPs could have a supersonic future
A concept for what supersonic executive government travel could look like. (Boom/)Military airplanes that can accelerate through the sound barrier are relatively common. An F-16 and other fighter jets can do it. So can a type of U.S. bomber, the B-1B. But those planes are designed for fighting and bombing, not shuttling executives around. And the aircraft that carries the president, Air Force One, is a 747, an iconic but decidedly subsonic plane.Recently, the Air Force took a small step towards exploring what a supersonic aircraft for government leaders could look like. In August, the military branch awarded three private companies contracts that total about $4.8 million—a small amount considering the eye-watering sums that accompany military aircraft (upgrading just one B-52 bomber, for example, will cost around $130 million). The contracts are for the companies to deliver information to the Air Force about supersonic executive transport concepts.The three companies are...