Aircraft / Aria T212 Transonic
A JStream Exclusive Original Concept Aircraft
The Aria T212 is a narrow-body, medium to long range twin-engine jet airliner produced by Aria Aircraft Company, a commercial aircraft manufacturer headquartered in Denver, Colorado USA, and Dublin, Ireland.
Development and Launch
The Aria T212 was developed as part of Aria Aircraft’s Slingshot Project, a research program convened in 2017 to design and build one or more 150 to 200 seat twinjet narrowbody airliners that could compete against the Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX.
Several different designs were studied, but the design selected was dubbed the Slingshot 182, a 182-seat airliner that would go on to become the Aria T182 Transonic. Slingshot 182 in turn spawned two derivatives, one of which was called Slingshot 212 - a stretched-fuselage, 212-seat twinjet. (The other derivative was Slingshot 152, a shortened-fuselage variant that eventually became the Aria T152 Transonic.) Slingshot 212 was designed to replace Boeing 737-900ER and Airbus A321-200, and to compete directly against their next generation variants, the Boeing 737 Max 9 and Airbus A321neo, respectively.
All three Slingshot projects, including Slingshot 212, was greenlighted and launched in 2021. Slingshot 212 was officially renamed the Aria T212. By 2023 the variant had been further rebranded as the Aria T212 Transonic, to highlight the aircraft’s ability to safely cruise at close to the sound barrier - 643 knots / 1192 km/h, or Mach 0.965 - and to safely fly beyond the sound barrier at up to Mach 1.06 (707 knots / 1309 km/h) for up to 75 minutes at a time.
Introduction
The Aria T212 Transonic received its final type certifications by US and European authorities in late May 2024, and was granted special approval to fly supersonic up to Mach 1.06 for as much as 75 minutes while operating over open seas, to avoid the possibility of emitting sonic booms while flying overland. The first Aria T212 Transonic - alongside its two sibling variants, the baseline Aria T182 Transonic and the shortened-fuselage Aria T152 Transonic - were all officially introduced together at special delivery ceremonies held at Aria Aircraft’s facilities in Denver-DEN and Dublin-DUB on 20 June 2024.
The Aria T212 is currently available as a passenger airliner in three subvariants:
A baseline model technically called the Aria T212 Transonic SR (Standard Range), which has a range of 4500 nmi / 8334 km;
An extended range version called the Aria T212 Transonic XR, which has 25% less cargo space compared to the T212 SR but features extra fuel storage to achieve a greater range of 5000 nmi / 9260 km; and
A dedicated business jet variant, the Aria T212b Transonic Bizjet, which has a range of up to 6500 nmi / 12,038 km.
A P2F (passenger to freighter) conversion program, to be based at Wichita, Kansas USA, is reportedly being planned.
Reference: none - fictional.
Stats
Stats displayed are for the Aria T212 Transonic SR and Aria T212 Transonic XR twinjet aircraft.
Name: Aria T212 Transonic SR/XR
Final Assembly Lines: Sacramento-MHR, California USA; Shannon-SNN, Ireland
Role: Twin Engine Narrowbody Jet Airliner
First Introduction: 20 June 2024
Status: In Production; In Service
Cockpit Crew: Two
Seating:
Airliner Standard: 212 - 56 Business + 156 Premium Economy
Airliner Alternate A: 208 - 76 Business + 132 Premium Economy
Airliner Alternate B: 240 - 24 Business + 216 Economy
Airliner All Premium Economy: 234 Premium Economy
Airliner All Standard Economy: 264 Standard Economy
Airliner Mixed Economy: 252 - 98 Premium Economy + 147 Economy
Airliner All Business Recliner: up to 160 Business
Airliner All Business Flat Bed: up to 76 Business
Bizjet Standard: 44 Business
Engines: 2 x Sonata Type 14A
Cruise Speed:
Subsonic: Mach 0.965 (643 knots; 1191 km/h; 740 mph)
Supersonic (up to 75 minutes): Mach 1.06 (707 knots; 1309 km/h; 813 mph)
Range:
Aria T212 Transonic SR: 4500 nmi (8334 km; 5179 mi)
Aria T212 Transonic XR: 5000 nmi (9260 km; 5754 mi)
Aria T212b Transonic Bizjet: 6500 nmi (12,038 km; 7480 mi)