The return of a supersonic commercial aircraft to the skies is an increasingly palpable hypothesis, more than 20 years after the closure of the legendary Concorde.
Boom Supersonic successfully completed the second test flight of its XB-1 demonstrator aircraft in California on August 26, 2024. The objective was to test different critical systems such as landing gear use or shock absorber roll.
The next test “before the end of the year” will be the first supersonic flight, that is, at the speed of sound.
The XB-1 is a demonstrator that is to serve as the technical basis for the passenger aircraft called Overture that Boom wants to produce and market.
130 pre-orders
Based in Denver, Colorado, the young company has been developing this device since 2014. It raised $100 million in funding in 2019 and received 130 pre-orders of American and Japanese companies. It currently has its own super-assembly factory.
With its delta wing, wasp-shaped waist and pointed nose, the future quad-jet has many similarities with the Concorde. But that’s where it stops. The aircraft is based on completely different technologies, in particular the composite fuselage, which is said to be much lighter than the Concorde’s, made of aluminium alloy.
The manufacturer’s stated goal is to carry around 70 people for transoceanic connections. With a speed of 1.7 Mach (compared to 2.2 for the Concorde), it will fly twice as fast as current aircraft.
The Overture thus aims for journeys such as New York-Rome in less than 5 hours (instead of 8), San Francisco-Seoul in just over 8 hours (instead of more than 12 hours) or even Zurich-Philadelphia in less than 5 hours (instead of 9 hours). 600 roads on the planet would be usable, says Boom.
Market niche
“They have raised funds, they have a demonstrator and orders from companies,” he continues.
The company has increased its contracts with aeronautical equipment manufacturers such as the French company Latecoere, responsible for the complete architecture of the Overture electrical wiring interconnection system.
The aim is to “have it up and running before the end of this decade,” says the company, which expects to begin production by the end of this year.
François Sfarti has some reservations. “In reality, at the moment we don’t see much, the demonstrator is actually a reformatted fighter aircraft and they are going to need a lot, a lot of money to continue and achieve a test flight campaign. A test flight costs 1 million dollars,” estimates the consultant.
“And then there is the issue of the internally developed engine, which is surprising given that it is a key element and, above all, very expensive in R&D. No aircraft manufacturer does that,” he continues.
There is also the question of operating costs and environmental impact (Boom claims that the aircraft will be able to fly on so-called clean fuels).
Just like its target, this device will not be aimed at mass travel, but at the business market with 70 seats on board, so it is a niche market.
Source: BFM TV
