EADS Global Website - ZEHST concept

EADS’ vision of high-speed, high-comfort, zero-emission aircraft has come a significant step closer with the launch of ZEHST– a concept to reawaken a collective imagination that has been dreaming of a return to supersonic flight.

ZEHST’s feasibility and systems study is a collaboration between EADS Innovation Works (IW), Astrium and ONERA, the French Aerospace Lab, with the sponsorship of the French Directorate General for Civil Aviation (or DGAC). Its roots have slightly different origins, however. “This project kicked off in 2009 within the framework of a French-Japanese cooperation, in which we propose to study a concept able to fly from Tokyo to Los Angeles in less than 3 hours and based on Astrium Spaceplane experience. You could say that the Spaceplane helped give birth to ZEHST,” explains Guy Gallic, Head of Advanced Concepts at IW.

Fast, clean and silent

Guy Gallic, Head of Advanced Concepts at Innovation Works, talks about ZEHST's technology.

Moving to a lower altitude, ZEHST will soar through the stratosphere at a speed beyond Mach 4. “We are following the ACARE and ‘FlightPath 2050’ targets [reduction of CO2 emissions by 75%, NOx by 90%, compared to 2000 levels]. The plane’s trajectory is very specific in order to minimise the sonic boom during climbing and descent, and by flying at approximately 30 kilometres there will be no further acoustic impact at ground level,” says Guy.

While the aircraft will travel more than four times the speed of sound, EADS has taken a cautious approach for its route map. ZEHST is a technology platform for all the design teams and engineers to develop new ideas and test them. A small demonstrator, to perform flight tests, is intended to be completed by 2020, while the Group expects an operational vehicle to be ready by 2050.

Did you know…?

Passengers will have a comfortable in-flight experience without requiring any special equipment or training. For a short period of time during the steep rocket engine-powered climb and acceleration, ZEHST passengers would feel mild acceleration forces, not exceeding 1.2g.