Boom Supersonic (or Boom Technology) is moving closer to commercial flights with Overture, the company’s supersonic aircraft project. As G1 reports, the company announced that it would conduct a first test flight this year, albeit with a smaller model.
What do you need to know:
- The experiment must be carried out with the XB1, a test model with space only for the pilot;
- The aircraft has already been approved for testing by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA);
- Although the model is smaller than the original version of Overture, it has the same ability to exceed the speed of sound;
- The test is intended to help the company collect more data for Overture production;
- Boom Supersonic’s plan is to operate the first official flight without passengers in four years. However, the futuristic aircraft is not scheduled to be launched until 2029.
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There is no exact date yet for the test flight of the XB1 supersonic aircraft, but the aircraft will take off from the Mojave Space and Air Port in California the same runway used in the first supersonic flight in history in 1947.
If the experiment is successful, Boom is expected to begin producing the Overture in 2025. The aircraft is intended not only to optimize air traffic, but also to speed up flights for politicians, military personnel and doctors.
Technology and materials have advanced to the point where we can build faster, more efficient supersonic aircraft while protecting the planet. Additionally, business and leisure traffic has continued to increase and travelers are willing to pay for speed.
Boom supersonic.
Image: Advertising/Boom Supersonic
What is Overture, Boom Technology’s supersonic aircraft?
The Overture is a planned supersonic aircraft that will fly at twice the speed of current commercial aircraft. By supporting up to 80 passengers, travel time will be halved for example, the company guarantees that a flight from Miami (USA) to London (England), which would normally take 10 hours, will be completed by Overture in 5 hours.
More details:
- The supersonic aircraft promises to reach Mach 1.7, i.e. 1.7 times the speed of sound, at an altitude of around 18 km;
- That means around 1,800 km/h. Since the model must be above most turbulence areas, the flight must be even smoother than with conventional models;
- The aircraft itself is also said to be lighter as it is made from composite materials such as carbon fiber. This results in fuel savings due to lower weight;
- Regarding the dimensions: It will be 61 meters long and 32 meters wide;
- Notably, the project is a successor to the Concorde, a supersonic aircraft that flew from the 1970s to the early 2000s. The model reached a speed of Mach 2, twice the speed of sound;
- Overture was designed to achieve the same performance as Concorde. However, the main focus is to make it economical in addition to complying with gas reduction regulations.
- Airlines such as United, American Airlines and Japan Airlines have already reserved units of the model (130 in total) tickets for this bullet trainstyle journey will of course be significantly more expensive.