Boom Supersonic is expected to break the sound barrier with its XB-1 demonstrator next week. The private test plane is a one-third-scale presentation of the startup’s planned Overture airliner. American Airlines and United Airlines have already placed orders for the Overture, so a successful test flight next week would be a monumental step toward the return of supersonic commercial flights.
It was understandable to be skeptical of the Boom Overture when American and United placed orders a few years ago. Around the same time, major airlines were also placing orders for eVOTL aircraft with the outlandish aim of shuttling passengers between city centers and airports. However, Boom has been able to show its development progress in the real world, not computer renders. The XB-1 conducted 11 test flights over the Mojave Desert between March 2024 and last week, gradually increasing speeds each time. The two most recent flights have reached Mach 0.95, or 95 percent of the speed of sound. Boom’s test pilot Tristan “Geppetto” Brandenburg briefly outlined the plans for next week’s test flight:
“Our first supersonic flight will be Mach 1.1. There is quite a bit of uncertainty in the transonic regime between 0.95 and 1.1 as local airflow over different parts of the aircraft transitions from subsonic to supersonic, and back to subsonic, at different times.This region of the envelope is challenging to model accurately, and we want to be very careful at these speeds.”
Despite the progress made, the project has been plagued with several delays and a split with engine supplier Rolls-Royce. The Boom Overture’s design evolved over time, with two notable changes. It shifted from a trijet configuration, like the XB-1, to a quad jet. The beak nose was also ditched for a dropping hawk nose because it performed better aerodynamically. Despite the delays, Boom has finished the construction of a factory in North Carolina. The Overture is still slated to enter commercial service in 2030, a date set for 2020.