Supersonic business jet developer Aerion named two Boeing executives to its five-member board of directors, giving Boeing significant sway over a company in which it recently invested.
Aerion's new directors include Mike Sinnett, Boeing's vice-president of product strategy and future airplane development, and former chief engineer of the 787 programme, Aerion says.
"He helps formulate the preliminary design of new and derivative airplanes and systems, improved environmental performance and advanced technologies," Aerion says of Sinnett.
Ken Shaw, vice-president of supply chain at Boeing's aftermarket arm Boeing Global Services, has also joined Aerion's board.
Aerion has also named one other new board member – Bryan Barrett, chief financial officer of Keystone Group, an affiliate of Aerion "lead investor" Aerion Partners.
Aerion's other two board members include Aerion chief executive Tom Vice, who helped negotiate Boeing's recent investment, and former Pratt & Whitney president Paul Adams, according to Reno, Nevada-based Aerion.
"The structure of the board reflects strong industry expertise and the commitment of our partner Boeing," Aerion tells FlightGlobal.
Aerion is developing a 12-passenger supersonic business jet called AS2, which it hopes will achieve first flight in 2023.
Medium-bypass GE Aviation Affinity supersonic turbofan engines will power the aircraft to speeds up to Mach 1.4 – 70% faster than current business jet speeds, according to Aerion.
News broke on 5 February that Boeing had invested an undisclosed sum in Aerion and agreed to provide its new partner with "engineering, manufacturing and flight test resources", Boeing said.
"Boeing made a significant investment in Aerion to accelerate technology development and aircraft design, and unlock supersonic air travel for new markets," said an Aerion media release.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
