Aerospace Firm Aims To Make High-Speed Flight a Reality

摘要

Imagine traveling from Los Angeles to Tokyo or from Tokyo to Paris in less than two and a half hours. In June, during the Paris Air Show, EADS, an international aerospace and defense firm known for such aircraft as the Airbus, unveiled a concept study for a high-speed aircraft that would make such trips a reality while hav- ing limited effect on the environment. EADS has partnered with France's Office national d'etudes et de recherches aerospatiales (Onera) to conduct a feasibility and systems study of the aircraft, which is being referred to as the Zero-Emission, High-Supersonic Transport, or ZEHST. France's Direction generale de l'aviation civile is sponsoring the study. The highspeed plane is being modeled after the suborbital spacecraft concept developed by EADS for carrying tourists into space and is among a slate of initiatives the company is proposing to reduce travel times and make aviation more sustainable. EADS plans to hold ZEHST demonstrations toward the end of the decade, followed by development of an operational vehicle.