Lockheed Martin has been picked by NASA to design a new supersonic airplane. The design will be required to include new boom suppression technology to minimize noise pollution when flying faster than the speed of sound. The deal for the preliminary design of NASA’s quiet supersonic technology program was announced on February 29. NASA’s goal is to develop a quieter supersonic jet transport for passenger service. The design calls for a single engine with a vectored thrust exhaust system and a delta wing. The aircraft cockpit would utilize an enhanced computerized vision system to allow pilots to fly the plane without requiring a forward looking wind shield. NASA wants Lockheed Martin to start building the supersonic plane by 2019, with test flights beginning the following year. Acoustic surveys would be required to over turn the decades old ban on super sonic passenger flights over land.
