A new Concorde is about to take to the skies, renewing the experience and flight times to get from one part of the world to another. This is the ambition behind the plans of Boom Supersonic, a US company that aims to create an updated and thus better clone of the supersonic aircraft that made history until its retirement in 2003 after the serious accidents it suffered over the years. Due to the great interest in solutions capable of redesigning air transport, shortening times and making flights more sustainable, Boom Supersonic has received a lot of funding, so much so that up to last year, more than $700 million had arrived in the till.
Money wagered by well-known investors such as Bessemer Venture Partners, Y Combinator, Sam Altman, Reid Hoffman and American Express Ventures, but also by the US Air Force, useful to support research and development, as well as the construction of the Superfactory in North Carolina where the aircraft are assembled.
Flight over the sound barrier
After some promising test flights, Boom Supersonic achieved its first mission at the end of January, when a flight of the XB-1 broke the sound barrier. Taking off from the Mojave Air & Space Port in California, the demonstration aircraft piloted by Tristan Brandenburg (former US Navy pilot) reached an altitude of 35,290 feet and then exceeded Mach 1,122, which means flying at a speed of 1,358 km/h. Nothing was left to chance during the test flight, which was scheduled to take place in the same place where, in 1947, Chuck Yeager flew the Bell X-1, exceeding the speed of sound for the first time. Accompanied by two other aircraft to take photos, shoot videos and transfer data in real-time to the base via a Starlink connection, the flight lasted 33 minutes.
Boom supersonic
This was an important first step, possible after the authorisation for a special flight was granted by the Federal Aviation Administration because it allowed the company to obtain a wealth of information to continue the development of Overture, the commercial aircraft equipped with Symphony engines, which is expected to enter into operation in 2029. Provided there are no problems during the development or future flights of the XB-1.
At 61.3 metres long, 11 metres high and with a wingspan of 32.3 metres, Overture will feature a gull-wing design, with digital control of the front and rear flops. Thanks to its four turbofan engines, it will be powered by 100% sustainable fuel that will encourage less environmentally impactful flights. More than anything else, however, the hallmark of Boom Supersonic’s future aircraft will be its Mach 1.7 speed, approximately 2,100 km/h, with a range of close to 8,000 km and the ability to carry 64 to 80 passengers, for a flight that should connect the two sides of the Atlantic Ocean in just over 3.5 hours.
The beginning of a new frontier
As for technology, Overture will inherit from the XB-1 augmented reality vision (allowing pilots perfect visibility of the cockpit without having to engineer the nose as on the Concorde), digitally optimised aerodynamics and use of carbon fibre composite materials.
‘The supersonic flight of the XB-1 proves that the technology to fly passengers has arrived because a small group of talented engineers has achieved what previously required governments and billions of dollars,’ said Blake Scholl, founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic.
While it is difficult to maintain enthusiasm for flight enthusiasts, it must be considered that patience and the availability of a lot of funds will be needed to hit the milestones on the roadmap for Overture’s arrival on the market. The potential is there, and the tests so far have left positive feelings, so much so that Boom Supersonic already counts 130 orders received for its future aircraft from leading companies such as American Airlines, Japan Airlines and United Airlines.
