Aerion announced a collaborative effort yesterday with NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, to mature the space agency’s new supersonic inlet (Supin) computer code. The software has been developed to perform aerodynamic design and analysis on engine inlets for future high-speed aircraft, such as Aerion’s proposed supersonic business jet (SSBJ).

Under the arrangement, which is made possible through a Space Act Agreement, Aerion and NASA will work together on inlet design and advanced boundary layer control methods to achieve efficient and stable supersonic inlet operation without boundary-layer bleed. Collaboration with NASA on its Supin code began this month and is expected to last one year.

“Our collaborative effort with NASA Glenn to mature the Supin supersonic inlet design code builds on our existing relationship with NASA Dryden, and both partnerships could pay dividends for years to come in the form of faster and more efficient flight,” said Aerion chief technology officer Dr. Richard Tracy.

Aerion’s ongoing collaboration with NASA Dryden Flight Research Center in Southern California will result in additional supersonic flight tests of an Aerion test article aboard a NASA F-15B within the next month. These additional flights will evaluate supersonic boundary layer transition properties as they relate to manufacturing standards for surface quality and assembly tolerances.