The Embraer E-Jet aircraft family initially went into production in 2002. Conceived to fill a niche market that exists between regional and mainline aircraft, the E-Jet line consists of mid-range narrow-bodied jet airliners mainly utilized today by regional air carriers all across the United States. The largest in the E-jet family and the leader in the series is the E195. From the time of their inception until the current date, the series is considered an overall success.

Despite this fact, it was announced in 2011 that Embraer had initialized the development of newer and improved variants of the E-Jet series aircraft. Appropriately named the E-Jet E2 family, the new line would feature several upgrades to the previous designs. For example, the new line would see fuel efficiency increase, a more refined and contemporary wing design, and state of the art avionics to name a few. The initiative was spurned by Embraer’s competitor’s attempts to develop their series of fuel-efficient jet airliners due to a globalized increase in fuel costs at the time.

Embraer E195-E2 ‘Profit Hunter’

Much like the former E-Jet family’s E195, its newer and improved upon counterpart, the Embraer E195-E2, will be the largest in the series. Intended to compete with various comparable aircraft in its class, the Embraer E195-E2 will have a seating capacity of approximately 144. Initial plans also included various other enhancements upon the original E195 concept including an expansion in wingspan to roughly 115 feet to achieve greater lift as well as an increase in maximum takeoff weight of 4,400 lbs, resulting in a total MTOW of 135,000 lbs. Its range was additionally extended to achieve 450 nmi at sea-level and 250 nmi in more arid environments. The aircraft’s range fully loaded with passengers extends to an impressive 2450 nmi.

The Embraer E195-E2 is powered by twin Pratt & Whitney PurePower PW1919G turbofans while the flight deck incorporates state of the art fly-by-wire technologies. Additional optimizations to the indigenous concept include an onboard maintenance system that completes an automated audit of systems technologies which notifies maintenance stations before the aircraft’s arrival to expedite repairs.

The variant’s award-winning cabin design delivers passengers with an unrivaled level of spaciousness and comfortability rarely encountered in business class aircraft. Variations in seating capacity allow for the removal or addition of seats to accommodate between 120 and 146 passengers. There is no middle seat, therefore passengers are not expected to split the difference in personal space with others and the staggered seating conceptualization is as first of its kind in business class aircraft design.

Onboard connectivity allows for passengers to stream movies, connect to WiFi and seat backs feature sockets that allow passengers to securely mount their electronic devices. The idea to leverage passenger comfort over seat capacity is just one of the reasons the Embraer E195-E2 was presented with the Crystal Cabin Award in the Visionary Concepts and Industrial Design categories.

Embraer E195-E2 ‘Profit Hunter’

The first Embraer E195-E2 was rolled out in March 2017 with its maiden flight taking place later in the same month. The Embraer E195-E2 prototype was displayed at the Paris Air Show in June of 2017 suitably emblazoned with the image of a Golden Eagle. Industry insiders are anticipating the aircraft entering into service as early as 2019.

At the time of the air show, Embraer’s President and CEO of Commercial Aviation John Slattery talked about the innovations in design and objectives developers were hoping to achieve with the Embraer E195-E2 concept. He said that the Embraer E195-E2 is the largest jet ever constructed by Embraer and that, “It is very cheap to operate”, it is very light and we believe airlines will be able to generate extra revenue and that’s why we’ve called it the profit hunter.”

Since the aircraft’s launch in 2013 and until last indicated in 2017, Embraer has received roughly 65 firm orders for the Embraer E195-E2 despite its 60.4 million dollar purchase price. This could be because of the aircraft’s numerous innovations that make it an excellent prospect for regional airlines, especially regarding the fuel efficiency, lower maintenance costs, and flexibility in performing either short hops or transcontinental flights.

In fact, it was previously reported that Embraer had indicated that Embraer E195-E2 trip costs are significantly lower than that of their competitor’s aircraft, with a fuel efficiency that exceeds that of even Boeing 737 MAX family aircraft and Airbus A320neo series jet airliners, making the Embraer E195-E2 a potential dark horse for entry into mainline markets as well. All things considered, it looks as if the Embraer E195-E2 may just live up to the legacy imparted upon it by its extremely apropos nickname, the “Profit Hunter“.

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Boeing unveiled its rendering of the design for the hypersonic passenger jet, which would fly at an estimated speed of 3,800 mph, at an aerospace conference in Atlanta. The project has been supported by Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg, who wants Boeing to further explore the possibility of ultra-fast passenger jets.

“I think in the next decade or two you’re going to see them become a reality,” Muilenburg told CNBC at the Paris Air Show in 2017. “We see future innovations where you could connect around the world in about two hours.”

The design of a hypersonic jet would necessitate lightweight design materials for the fuselage and advanced engines that could reach hypersonic speeds. John Plueger, president, and CEO of Air Lease Corp. has expressed doubts. “It’s hard for me to see, at least in the next 15-20 years, that it’s going to be so cost competitive that it’s going to compel the airlines to take a stab at it,” he told CNBC.

Boeing is aiming to make the hypersonic jet a reality by the late 2030s, though the project could potentially take another decade to see the light of day. The aerospace company has recently increased its investment in hypersonic flight technology and has revealed proposals for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) military jets capable of reaching hypersonic speed in January.

The dimensions for the Boeing hypersonic jet are not yet known, though it is expected that it would be smaller than a 737, and seat an estimated 20 to 100 passengers. The jet would cruise at 95,000 feet, 30,000 feet higher than the supersonic Concorde, and 60,000 feet higher than the average passenger plane. The increased altitude would increase the efficiency of its engines and reduce turbulence.

Hypersonic jets would enter into competition with the suborbital rockets that are being developed by SpaceX’s Elon Musk and Virgin Galactic’s Richard Branson, who stated their intention to adapt their rockets for international passenger flights that would take travelers from New York to Sydney in just one hour.

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