3 ms·
> but no amount of tweaking is going to make a turbofan work at supersonic speeds Sure they can. It's the inlet's job to slow the flow to subsonic. Turbofans h
by jasonwatkinspdx 11y ago
> but no amount of tweaking is going to make a turbofan work at supersonic speeds
Sure they can. It's the inlet's job to slow the flow to subsonic. Turbofans have been used on supersonic military aircraft since the 1960's. Go read about intake ramps. Then learn about diverterless supersonic intakes.
You're yelling scam pretty loud for someone that clearly doesn't know basics of the topic area.
Edit: My guess is the engine they're standing in front of is a JT8 of some flavor, which have been heavily used by both military and commercial aircraft.
- designtofly 11y agoBut those intakes don't work for free. You will encounter huge losses and drag penalties. And military jets aren't designed to fly 3500 miles supersonically the entire way. The vast majority of miltiary jets have a maximum supersonic time that can be measured in minutes.
- jasonwatkinspdx 11y agoThis isn't quite so cut and dried: the ram effect can help or hurt depending on the exact context and numbers. There are several 4th generation fighters with sustained supersonic cruise, as well as older aircraft like the B1. The basic technology has been around for decades. Nothing about the proposed supersonic small commuter jet is impossible from an engineering perspective, though aspects of it won't be _easy_, and it is entirely possible the business case doesn't work out. I mostly replied above because of the categorical statement that supersonic flight with turbofans is impossible. The reality is that virtually all supersonic aircraft use engines with some bypass. The Concorde's engines oddly enough are one of the few zero bypass designs used in industry.