All Reports
1Q 2022

Supersonic and Hypersonic Flight

Market Analysis and Forecasts for Commercial Supersonic and Hypersonic Aircraft

Supersonic and hypersonic aircraft are poised to become a disruptive technology for passenger transport by 2035. While the technology for flying supersonic is not new, supersonic passenger aircraft have not been in service since the Concorde was retired in 2003. The Concorde’s technology was state-of-the-art during its service but is now considered outdated due to the lack of efficiency, extremely loud engines, and thunderous sonic boom that the aircraft created. Multiple companies and government agencies are working together to solve these issues, engines are much more efficient and can be flown on sustainable fuels, and the aircraft are being shaped to reduce the sonic boom to a thump.

Technology for these supersonic and hypersonic aircraft has matured to the point where some are expected to be able to deliver cargo or passengers anywhere in the world in less than 2 hours. These new aircraft are being designed to fly further on less fuel with the tradeoff of less passenger capacity and higher speeds. At the higher speeds of these aircraft relative to subsonic aircraft, they are expected to endure extremely high temperatures due to friction, prompting new materials to be pioneered that can dissipate the heat safely. Jet engine designs have matured as well, including scramjet engines with no moving parts that can propel an aircraft up to Mach 12 or higher.

This Guidehouse Insights report analyzes the global public and private markets for supersonic and hypersonic aircraft in the three phases of aircraft life: development, testing, and operational. The study provides an analysis of market issues, including business cases, opportunities, and implementation challenges associated with these aircraft. Global market forecasts for capacity and revenue broken out by lifecycle phases extend through 2035.

Pages 39
Tables | Charts | Figures 30
  • What are the changes required for supersonic aircraft technologies to be successful?
  • Which companies and countries are advancing this market?
  • What are the constraints on the industry and how can they be overcome?
  • What are the expected expenditures for this market by 2035?
  • What new aircraft technologies are driving this market?
  • Industry bodies
  • Aircraft manufacturers
  • Airports
  • Airlines
  • Government agencies
  • Investor community

1. Executive Summary

1.1      Introduction

1.2      Market Outlook

2. Market Issues

2.1      Introduction

2.2      Commercial Supersonic Aircraft’s History

2.3      The State of Supersonic Aircraft Operations

2.4      Market Drivers

2.4.1     Reduced Flight Time at Reduced Costs

2.4.2     Additional Untapped and On-Demand Markets

2.4.3     Use of Sustainable Fuels

2.5      Market Barriers

2.5.1     1973 Ban of Sonic Boom over Land

2.5.2     Limited Route Possibilities

2.5.3     Air Traffic Control Rules for Supersonic and Hypersonic Flight

3. Technology Issues

3.1      Introduction

3.1.1     Supersonic and Hypersonic Aircraft Design Issues

3.1.2     Aircraft Material Issues

3.1.3     Aircraft Engine Limitations

3.1.3.1   Turbine or Turbojet Engine

3.1.3.2   Turbofan Engine

3.1.3.3   Ramjet and Scramjet Engines

3.1.4     Sonic Boom vs. Sonic Thump

3.1.4.1   Sonic Boom

3.1.4.2   Sonic Thump

4. Key Industry Players

4.1      Introduction

4.1.1     Boom Supersonic

4.1.2     United Aircraft Corporation and Mubadala Investment Company

4.1.3     Lockheed Martin

4.1.4     Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Sky Frontier Program

4.1.5     Exosonic

4.1.6     Hermeus

4.1.7     Hypersonix and Boeing

4.1.8     Radian Aerospace

5. Market Forecasts

5.1      Methodology

5.2      Market Limitations

5.3      Key Assumptions

5.4      Market Forecasts

5.4.1     Global Supersonic and Hypersonic Developmental Expenditure Forecast

5.4.2     Global Supersonic and Hypersonic Testing Expenditure Forecast

5.4.3     Global Supersonic and Hypersonic Aircraft Operational Expenditure

5.4.4     Total Supersonic and Hypersonic Expenditures Forecast

6. Conclusions and Recommendations

7. Acronym and Abbreviation List

8. Table of Contents

9. Table of Charts and Figures

10. Scope of Study, Sources and Methodology, Notes

  • Total Supersonic and Hypersonic Aircraft Development Expenditure by Aircraft Class, World Markets: 2022-2035
  • Total Supersonic and Hypersonic Aircraft Testing Expenditure by Aircraft Class, World Markets: 2022-2035
  • Total Supersonic and Hypersonic Aircraft Operational Expenditure by Aircraft Class, World Markets:  2022-2035
  • Supersonic and Hypersonic Aircraft Expenditure by Aircraft Class, World Markets: 2022-2035
  • Supersonic Aircraft Development Expenditure by Sector, World Markets: 2022-2035
  • Hypersonic Aircraft Development Expenditure by Sector, World Markets: 2022-2035
  • Supersonic Aircraft Testing Expenditure by Sector, World Markets: 2022-2035
  • Hypersonic Aircraft Testing Expenditure by Sector, World Markets: 2022-2035
  • Supersonic Aircraft Operational Expenditure by Sector, World Markets: 2022-2035
  • Hypersonic Aircraft Operational Expenditure by Sector, World Markets: 2022-2035
  • Total Supersonic Aircraft Expenditure by Sector, World Markets: 2022-2035
  • Total Hypersonic Aircraft Expenditure by Sector, World Markets: 2022-2035
  • Heating of Concorde Fuselage at Mach 2-Plus
  • Heating of SR-71 Fuselage at Mach 3-Plus
  • Turbojet, Ramjet, and Scramjet Engine Examples
  • Boom Supersonic Overture Aircraft
  • Lockheed Martin and NASA X-59 QueSST
  • JAXA Supersonic Aircraft Design
  • Exosonic Supersonic Aircraft Design
  • Hermeus Hypersonic Aircraft
  • Hypersonix and Boeing Hypersonic Aircraft
  • Radian Aerospace Radian One Spaceplane
  • Supersonic and Hypersonic Developmental Expenditure by Aircraft Class and Sector, World Markets: 2022-2035
  • Total Supersonic and Hypersonic Developmental Expenditure by Sector, World Markets: 2022-2035
  • Supersonic and Hypersonic Testing Expenditure by Aircraft Class and Sector, World Markets: 2022-2035
  • Total Supersonic and Hypersonic Testing Expenditure by Sector, World Markets: 2022-2035
  • Supersonic and Hypersonic Operational Aircraft Expenditure by Aircraft Class and Sector, World Markets: 2022-2035
  • Total Supersonic and Hypersonic Operational Aircraft Expenditure by Sector, World Markets: 2022-2035
  • Total Supersonic and Hypersonic Expenditure by Aircraft Class and Sector, World Markets: 2022-2035
  • Total Supersonic and Hypersonic Expenditure by Sector, World Markets: 2022-2035
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