600 aircraft purchases over 20 years for an aircraft with a range of at least 5,000 nautical miles, and owners would be willing to pay more than $100 million for it. "That is the supersonic jet we are working to deliver," CEO Doug Nichols said. Aerion is not alone in the effort to break the business-jet sound barrier. A British firm led by Richard Lugg has been working for years to develop the SonicStar, which aims to shatter the sound barrier in near silence using engines that run on a massive electrical charge. The aircraft would eliminate the sonic boom that has limited supersonic flights over land. Aerion has not announced a boommitigation strategy, and notes in its press announcement that the jet will have two cruise "sweet spots," one at Mach 0.95 for "efficient cruise where supersonic flight is prohibited," and another at Mach 1.4, with fuel efficiency at both speeds comparable to current business jets. EMAIL james.moore@aopa.org www.aopa.org/pilot AOPA PILOT | 43http://www.jpinstruments.com http://www.JPITECH.com http://www.aopa.org/pilot