Supersonic business jet developer Aerion has officially launched preliminary design of its 12-seater, Mach 1.4-capable AS2 and revealed ambitions to develop bigger and faster follow-on variants, including potential commercial models.

A new Aviation Week Intelligence Network forecast predicts worldwide deliveries of 8,683 business jets and 2,877 turboprops from 2019-2028, exhibiting a 1.4% annual growth rate.

Big-cabin jets—ranging from super midsize through business liner classes—over the next five years represent 62% of the units and 87% of the value of planned new jet purchases in 2018 dollars.

In the world of airliner-derived business jets, Airbus and Boeing are, as ever, neck-and-neck in bringing a new product to market, although their larger brethren have less customer appeal.

Dassault has bounced straight back from its Silvercrest troubles with a 6X, but while Cessna has suspended the Hemisphere, its public stance is “wait and see,” with the aircraft still promoted on its website and Safran promising an eventual fix.

Like a contemplative chess master, SyberJet spends long periods in a state of apparent dormancy; it returns to this survey, following recent indications of movement.​

In this year’s upbeat prop and turboprop subsection, only the Taihang Angel is deleted by reason of no recent progress.

Bombardier’s new Global 5500 and Global 6500 long-range business jets have completed 70% of their flight testing and are on track for delivery in 2019.