The new Russian supersonic passenger aircraft has already been defined in its final configuration; it will be built without traditional frontal glazing. This was announced by Andrey Popov, chief specialist of GosNIIAS for unmanned aerial systems.
According to him, forward visibility will be provided by cameras and sensors, and the information will be displayed on screens in the cockpit. This scheme will allow abandoning the complex design of the nose section and improving aerodynamics.
The liner is designed without frontal glazing: it will only have monitors and sensors. Externally, the airframe is more "sleek", with a sharp, non-dropping nose, unlike the Tu-144 or Concorde.
Popov clarified that side windows will be retained in the cockpit for taxiing on the ground, and passengers will not be left without portholes. Engineers have already tested this on a flight demonstrator based on the Yak-40.
The absence of glazing was recently hinted at by Andrey Dutov, General Director of the N. E. Zhukovsky Institute Research Center. He emphasized that the prospective liner would fly without a droop nose section of the cockpit.
Aviation expert Roman Gusarov told "Pervy Tekhnichesky" that the new supersonic aircraft could be equipped with the 177S engine, originally developed for tactical aviation.
