R.I.P., Concorde. The next generation of business jets may also break the sound barrier - in a quieter, more fuel-efficient fashion. Pratt and Whitney's F119 engine was built for the Air Force's F/A-22 Raptor, but it could boost the performance of executive planes, too. The key isn't miles per hour; it's miles per gallon. An aircraft outfitted with the F119 can reach Mach 1 without an afterburner, so it uses less gas. What's more, vectored thrust - the precise control of exhaust direction - and better aerodynamics may hush the sonic booms that confined Concorde to transoceanic flights. Pratt's party line is that it has no plans to develop the F119 for civilian use, but an insider says studies of how to convert it are under way. Market research done for Gulfstream and others predicts a demand for 512 ultrafast jets - at $80 million a piece - between 2010 and 2030.
- Ethan Mollick
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