RENO, NEVADA — Two aviation companies have launched a joint engine study on a supersonic jet that aims to cut flight times between London and New York to just over four hours.

U.S. aircraft-maker Aerion has teamed with GE Aviation on the research.

Dubbed the ‘Son of the Concorde’, the Aerion AS2 plane has a short wingspan and a long fuselage, similar to the design of supersonic fighter jets.

According to information on the Aerion Corporation website, the aircraft’s thin wings vastly reduce friction drag when compared to traditional aircraft wings. The AS2 can reach speeds of Mach 1.5, which is one and a half times the speed of sound.

“The challenges for Aerion are no longer technological. Aerion has developed a vast body of supersonic test data relevant to improving the efficiency of high-speed flight,” Aerion CEO Doug Nichols said in a press release.

Private jet company Flexjet made the first purchase of the AS2, when it ordered 20 of the aircraft in 2015.