Whisper Aero unveils concept for a 100-seat battery-electric regional airliner
The Whisper Jetliner utilizes a larger iteration of the same ultraquiet electric ducted fan technology featured in the Whisper Jet, a concept for a nine-passenger electric aircraft.
At an event last week at the Ohio Air Mobility Symposium, FutureFlight reports that Whisper Aero Inc. unveiled the “Whisper Jetliner” concept, a 100-seat battery-electric regional airliner.
The company that has operations in both Crossville and Nashville has also submitted a proposal for the design to NASA’s Advanced Aircraft for Sustainable Aviation (AACES) program, which the agency launched last year to “stimulate innovation and the development of advanced conceptual designs and technologies for commercial subsonic aircraft that could enter service around 2050.”
The article says the Whisper Jetliner utilizes a larger iteration of the same ultraquiet electric ducted fan technology featured in the Whisper Jet, a concept for a nine-passenger electric aircraft that the company presented last summer at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Aviation Forum in San Diego, CA.
According to Whisper, the Jetliner would have a battery-electric range of up to 769 miles using 804 Wh/kg battery cells. In a hybrid configuration with a four-megawatt generator, the range would extend to 1,176 miles. It would require only 3,000 feet of runway to take off and land, whereas a comparable Airbus A220-100 model requires 4,800 feet.
The article notes that while the Jetliner concept represents Whisper’s ambitions of decarbonizing aviation, the company has said that it does not intend to become an airframe manufacturer. Rather, Whisper intends to partner with aircraft manufacturers in bringing its proprietary propulsion system to market. In the meantime, the company is also exploring other possible applications for its ultraquiet ducted fans, including leaf blowers.
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