At best, a total of 300 to 400 supersonic business jets (SSBJs) could be sold over the next 30 years, according to Andrei Ilyin, general director at Sukhoi Civil Aircraft. “The market is too small for competition,” he said. “To become a reality, such an aircraft needs consolidation of manufacturers’ resources.” Thus, Sukhoi and Dassault signed a memorandum of understanding at June’s Paris Air Show that included a provision for the joint feasibility study of an SSBJ.
The document provides a basis for the two manufacturers to undertake studies on various programs, as instructed by Russian and French governments. “This memorandum is just a beginning of our joint work,” Ilyin said. “We have only agreed to look at this possibility. We have yet to determine what the responsibilities of the companies would be, if we decide to jointly produce this airplane.” If everything goes “in the best way,” he said the SSBJ could enter service by 2012, and perhaps as early as 2010.
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