The McDonnell Douglas High Speed Civil Transport was a proposed supersonic airliner design that was the subject of internal and NASA contract studies in 1996. It was envisioned at a time when the company was struggling to compete in the commercial aviation market and would ultimately never progress beyond a paper design.[1]
| High Speed Civil Transport | |
|---|---|
| Role | Supersonic airliner |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | McDonnell Douglas |
| Status | Proposed only |
| Number built | None |
Design goals envisioned a 300-passenger capacity with a 5,000 nautical mile range. Projected cruise speed was between Mach 1.6 and Mach 2.4.[1]
Design and development
editMcDonnell Douglas conducted internal and NASA contract studies to determine the market requirements for a High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT) and resolve environmental, economic and technical issues. "McDD is participating in an international study group exploring the HSCT concept, with Aerospatiale, Boeing, British Aerospace Daimler-Benz, Japan Aircraft Industries, Alenia and Tupolev."[1]
A first flight was envisioned for 2003, with certification projected in 2005–2006. A market for between 500 and 1,500 was also forecast. In the event, none were built and the aircraft remained a paper project. A conceptual design illustration showed a long narrow fuselage with four podded engines under sharply raked fixed delta wings mounted low at mid-fuselage and a swept cruciform tail, looking not unlike the cancelled Boeing 2707.[1]