Airbus Designed a Supersonic Jet to Go Mach 4.5
The future of international air travel looks bitchin'.
Strap yourself in, international travelers, because Airbus just won a patent for an “ultra-rapid air vehicle” that could slingshot you halfway around the world in the time it takes to watch The Godfather: Part II.
According to the plans filed with the U.S Patent Office, approved in July, the unnamed supersonic jet would top out at Mach 4.5 — north of 3,000 miles per hour. That’s L.A. to Toyko in three hours. You could hop from Boston to Dublin in less time than it takes to check in for your flight and go through security.
Like all patents at the planning stage, we’re still a long way from squeezing your Paris vacation into a lazy afternoon, though construction on a model could conceivably begin in another year. No word yet on whether Airbus will paint some gnarly flames along the wings, or if that would confuse air traffic controllers familiar with Guy Fieri’s private jet.
