Not since the sad demise of Concorde at the turn of the century has a civilian been able to fly supersonically – but if Spike Aerospace’s mission goes according to plan, wealthy individuals and businesses will be able to summon their very own sound-barrier-breaking jet.

The 18-passenger S-512 is destined to boast a cruising speed of Mach 1.6 (1,218mph) and a sprint velocity of Mach 1.8 (1,370mph), meaning the journey from New York to London could be completed in less than four hours. At these speeds, passenger windows must be reduced to tiny peepholes for air pressure reasons (see Concorde) – so Spike has opted to do away with them altogether, relying instead on outside images streamed live to curved panoramic screens.

If the ambitious project reaches fruition, it is estimated that each S-512 will cost around $80m.

Photos: Spike Aerospace