Aerion Taps Siemens’ Xcelerator Portfolio to Enable Next-Generation Global Transportation Networks

February 27, 2020

Courtney E. Howard

Aerion Supersonic in Reno, Nevada, is developing supersonic aircraft – modern air vehicles capable of traveling faster than the speed of sound (Mach 1) with potential for commercial and defense applications – with the help of the Xcelerator portfolio from Siemens Digital Industries Software , with headquarters in Nuremberg, Germany, and offices worldwide.

Aerion’s AS2 is its first privately built supersonic commercial aircraft, designed to be inherently environmentally responsible, to accept 100 percent synthetic fuel, and without an afterburner. Using Siemens’ Xcelerator portfolio, Aerion staff can use advanced design and simulation software to speed development of the next-generation aircraft, as well as achieve superior performance in flight and excellence in operations, officials say. Aerion joins innovative start-ups, aerospace industry leaders, and governments around the world that employ Siemens’ flexible and adaptable software to meet rapidly changing industry challenges of today, while also leveraging insights and data to adapt products to meet the needs of tomorrow.

“We see Siemens as a critical partner with a fully-aligned solution to our business needs,” Aerion CEO Tom Vice explains. “Siemens’ solution portfolio and the strong digital thread connecting each part of our process can help Aerion quickly analyze and optimize innovative designs. We can even model design change impacts on the future carbon footprint of our aircraft, which is critical to our mission of sustainable design.”

Siemens provides the aerospace and defense industry with a flexible ecosystem that combines an open software platform and rapid application development to build, integrate, and extend data and existing systems. Through its Xcelerator portfolio and technology/solutions partners worldwide, Siemens provides a series of adaptable digital threads that help enable aerospace and defense companies to optimize operations, win new business, and rapidly adapt to changes in industry.

“Leveraging the proven Xcelerator portfolio can help Aerion operate as an agile, digital organization and dramatically reduce the time and cost of new aircraft systems development,” says Barry Chapman, vice president of Aerospace & Defense and Federal Government, Siemens Digital Industries Software. “Siemens, and our partner Applied CAx, are proud to have been selected to support Aerion’s drive to revolutionize the commercial aerospace industry and defense market.

“Siemens is partnering with a range of companies like Aerion across the aerospace industry,” Chapman adds, “to help create an open and adaptable digital thread across the entire lifecycle, which will be key in meeting defense requirements.”

Siemens Digital Industries Software’s Dale Tutt, vice president of aerospace and defense, will help open SAE AeroTech 2020 (SAE.org/aerotech) with a keynote address on the rapid development of next-gen platforms and systems, as well as an interactive panel discussion on Next-Gen Now, achieving next-generation aerospace innovation today with advanced enabling technologies. Read more on the opening keynote session .

Also of note: industry leaders take part in an interactive panel on supersonic aircraft and systems at SAE AeroTech 2020 on March 18.