After an initial round of meetings with potential OEM partners on its supersonic business jet (SSBJ), Aerion is refining its business case. To lead this effort Aerion hired James Stewart, former CFO of Bombardier Aerospace, as its CFO.

Meanwhile, Aerion continues on track with its development efforts for the SSBJ. High-speed testing on the Aerion supersonic natural-laminar-flow wing was pending at press time, employing a rocket sled to achieve the necessary Mach 1.5 test speed.

The company also continues to make minor design refinements to the SSBJ design, with likely updates on this front expected next month at the NBAA Convention. Aerion expects to announce more consortium partners next year.

Certification of the Aerion SSBJ is slated for early next decade, with the Mach 1.6 airplane expected to enter service in 2011. An official program launch could be announced next month.