Aerion Corp, backed by Texas billionaire Robert Bass, has hit a snag in the crucial task of selecting an engine maker to build a business jet that exceeds the speed of sound.
The dream of producing the first civil aircraft to fly at supersonic velocity since the Concorde was canceled in 2003 gained momentum when Airbus Group agreed in 2014 to help design and produce the plane. A fractional-jet ownership company last year ordered 20 of the aircraft, known as the AS2.
Bass in 2015 said the company expected to announce an engine partner in the first half of this year. Aerion now expects to reach an agreement in 2017, said Jeff Miller, a spokesman for the Reno, Nevada-based company.
The company is "making good progress,'' he said Tuesday in an interview during the National Business Aviation Association conference in Orlando, Florida. "We're taking the time to get to the best decision for all parties.'' Chief Executive Officer Doug Nichols declined to comment.
Aerion has considered two dozen engines from various manufacturers, including for civil and military aircraft. The choice is narrowing to a derivative of a civil aircraft power plant that's already in use, Miller said. He declined to say with whom Aerion is holding discussions.
