Viper Aircraft Corporation is the manufacturer of the ViperJet, a small homebuilt jet aircraft. The aircraft features a conventional, low-wing monoplane with swept wings and tail, and two seats in tandem under a bubble canopy. The jet intakes are located at the sides of the fuselage and the tricycle undercarriage is retractable. Construction throughout the aircraft is of composite materials.
Originally conceived to use a piston engine driving a five- or six-blade pusher propeller, the ViperJet’s design and production underwent significant changes. Concerns about the cost and difficulty associated with eliminating vibration from the drivetrain led the designers to choose turbojet propulsion instead, with a Turbomeca Marboré engine installed in place of the Continental flat-6 originally intended as the power source. Despite the turbine engine’s high fuel consumption and low power output, the Hanchette brothers continued to redesign the aircraft and eventually selected the General Electric J85 engine. The MKII version, powered by the J85 engine, features a pressurized cabin, stronger undercarriage, and nearly three times the fuel tankage of its predecessor.
Builders can purchase pre-made components from Viper Aircraft, with the base MKII kit costing around US$182,000. Customers spent an average of $350,000 on their kits, with an additional $300,000 and approximately 3,000 to 3,500 hours required to complete the aircraft. Viper Aircraft also offers a builder assistance program and a training program to help customers assemble the major airframe components and learn to fly their ViperJet once it is complete.