Credit: Exosonic
Startup Exosonic has been awarded a contract by the US Air Force to develop a silent supersonic drone demonstrator.
The vehicle will assist pilots in training missions, portraying the enemy.
Today, several companies are developing quiet supersonic aircrafts: Lockheed Martin is building the X-59 aircraft.
It will feature an aerodynamic design that will reduce the intensity of the shock waves generated on the glider in flight.
Reducing noise, will allow the elongated sharp nose, which completely obstructs the forward view of the pilots.
Exosonic has several quiet supersonic projects too.
The startup is going to build a 70-seat supersonic airliner and an aircraft that will eventually become the number one supersonic plane.
In October, Exosonic announced a contract with the US Air Force to build a silent supersonic drone demonstrator.
On it, the developers want to show technologies that are relevant for their other projects - the airliner and the presidential plane.
Another quiet supersonic drone is a way for a startup to make a profit in the short term, which it also plans to spend on other products.
The device will have other purposes, apart from technology development. It will participate in flight training missions, portraying a simulated enemy.
This way, the military can reduce the wear and tear of the aircraft that now play this role in the exercises and free up pilots for other tasks.