Design methods and configurations for supersonic aircraft

A method of configuring an aircraft with external and internal components, said method comprising:

• a) defining a target sonic boom signature for said aircraft;
• b) determining a target distribution of total equivalent area based at least in part on said target sonic boom signature;
• c) defining a configuration of one or more external airframe components for said aircraft, said one or more external airframe components comprising a wing configuration having a corresponding distribution of equivalent area due to lift;
• d) determining an equivalent body area distribution for said aircraft based at least in part on said target distribution of total equivalent area and said distribution of equivalent area due to lift for said defined wing configuration;
• e) defining a location of one or more selected internal aircraft components within an available cross sectional area represented by said determined equivalent body area distribution;
• f) determining if sufficient cross sectional area exists for said defined location of said one or more selected internal aircraft components of step e) within said available cross sectional area represented by said determined equivalent body area distribution of step d), and if insufficient area is determined to exist for said defined location of said one or more selected internal aircraft components within said available cross sectional area, then redefining a configuration of one or more of said external airframe components of step c) for said aircraft to determine a revised distribution of equivalent area due to lift for said aircraft;
• and
• g) repeating steps d) through f) until sufficient cross sectional area is determined to exist for said defined location of said one or more selected internal aircraft components of step e) within an available cross sectional area represented by said determined equivalent body area distribution of step d).