Boom Overture

Short description: Under-development supersonic airliner

Boom Overture

Concept art of Boom Overture in flight

General information
Type| Supersonic airliner
National origin| United States
Manufacturer| Boom Technology
History
Introduction date| 2028 (planned)
First flight| 2027 (planned)
Expected| 2029/2030 (planned)[1]
Developed from| Boom XB-1

The Boom Overture is a supersonic airliner under development by Boom Technology. The aircraft is designed to cruise at a maximum speed of Mach 1.7 or 975 knots (1,806 km/h; 1,122 mph), while expected to reach supersonic speeds without causing a sonic boom at ground level, by taking advantage of the phenomenon known as mach cutoff. It is expected to carry 60 to 80 passengers, depending on configuration, with a range of 4,250 nautical miles [nmi] (7,870 km; 4,890 mi). Boom aims to introduce the Overture in 2029.[2] The company projects a market for over 1,000 supersonic aircraft serving more than 600 viable routes, with fares comparable to business class. Featuring a delta wing design similar to that of the Concorde, the Overture is expected to use composite materials in its construction. A 2022 redesign specified four medium bypass (non-afterburning) turbofan engines, each reportedly producing 180 kilonewtons (40,000 pounds-force) of thrust.[3]

## Contents

* 1 Market
* 1.1 Order summary
* 2 Development
* 3 Design
* 3.1 Engines
* 3.2 Environment
* 4 Specifications
* 5 See also
* 6 References
* 7 External links

## Market

According to the company, over 600 daily routes could be viable.[4] At Mach 1.7 over water, transatlantic flight times would be reduced significantly: Newark to London in 3 hours 40 minutes, and Newark to Frankfurt in 4 hours 15 minutes. Boom estimates a potential market for 1,000 supersonic airliners by 2035.[5] The Overture Superfactory has the capacity to assemble 33 aircraft per year on the first assembly line, and up to 66 per year with the addition of a second assembly line, supporting a market of 1,000 to 2,000 aircraft over a 10-year period. Boom expects that Overture's fuel efficiency and other operational factors will enable round-trip fares of approximately US$5,000 for a recliner-style business-class seat on the New York–London route, comparable to the cost of a lie-flat business class seat on a subsonic aircraft.[4] By comparison, a round-trip ticket on the Concorde for the same route in 2003, its final year of service, cost US$12,000 (equivalent to $20,500 in 2024).[6][7]

In March 2016, Richard Branson confirmed that the Virgin Group held purchase options for 10 Overture aircraft, and that Virgin Galactic's subsidiary The Spaceship Company, would assist with manufacturing and testing the jet.[8] However, in 2023, Virgin Group announced that its purchase options had expired.[9] In December 2017, Japan Airlines was confirmed to have pre-ordered up to 20 aircraft.[10] On June 3, 2021, United Airlines announced an agreement to purchase 15 Overture aircraft, with options for an additional 35, and expects to begin passenger service by 2029.[11][12] On August 16, 2022, American Airlines announced a similar agreement to purchase 20 aircraft, with options for an additional 40.[13]

### Order summary

Date  | Customer  | Orders  | Options  | Notes

|
|
|
|

March 23, 2016  | Virgin Group  | –  | ~~10~~ | Options expired on July 10, 2023[8]
December 5, 2017  | Japan Airlines  | –  | 20  | [14]
June 3, 2021  | United Airlines  | 15  | 35  | [15]
August 16, 2022  | American Airlines  | 20  | 40  | [13]
Totals  | 35  | 95  | 130 total

## Development

Boom Overture pedestal model at Brooklands Museum

By March 2016, the company had created concept drawings and wooden mockups of parts of the aircraft.[16]

In October 2016, the design was stretched to 155 ft (47 m) to seat up to 50 passengers with ten extra seats, its wingspan marginally increased, and a third engine was added to enable ETOPS with up to a 180 minutes diversion time.[17] The plane could seat 55 passengers in a higher-density configuration.[18] In June 2017, its introduction was scheduled for 2023.[19] By July 2018, it was delayed to 2025.[20] At the time, it had undergone over 1,000 simulated wind tunnel tests.[4]

Boom initially targeted a Mach 2.2 cruise speed to fit with transoceanic airline timetables and allow higher utilization, while keeping airport noise to Stage 4, similar to subsonic long-range aircraft.[21] The plane configuration was intended to be locked in late 2019 to early 2020 for a launch with engine selection, supply chain, production site.[21] Development and certification of the airliner and its engine were estimated at $6 billion, requiring Series C investors.[21] Enough money was raised in the B round of fundraising to be able to hit key milestones, including flying the demonstrator (XB-1) to prove the technology, building up an order book, finding key suppliers for engines, aerostructures, and avionics, and lay out the certification process, with many special conditions but with precedents.[21]

At the June 2019 Paris Air Show, Boom CEO Blake Scholl announced the introduction of the Overture was delayed from 2023 to the 2025–2027 timeframe, following a two-year test campaign with six aircraft.[22] In September 2020, the company announced it has been contracted by the United States Air Force to develop the Overture for possible use as Air Force One.[23]

On October 7, 2020, Boom publicly unveiled its XB-1 demonstrator, which it planned to fly for the first time in 2021 from Mojave Air and Space Port, California. It expected to begin wind tunnel tests for the Overture in 2021, and start construction of a manufacturing facility in 2022, with the capacity to produce 5 to 10 aircraft monthly. The first Overture would be unveiled in 2025, with the aim of achieving type certification by 2029.[24] Flights should be available in 2030, as estimated by Blake Scholl.[25]

Boom currently targets a slower Mach 1.7 cruise.[2] In January 2022, Boom announced a grant of US$60 million from the US Air Force’s AFWERX program to further develop the Boom Overture supersonic airliner.[26] In July 2022, Boom announced a partnership with Northrop Grumman to develop a 'special mission' variant for the U.S. Government and its allies.[3] Overture's introduction is now planned for 2027, while its first flight is now planned for 2028 with type certification expected in 2029.[27]

On July 19, 2022, Boom unveiled a significantly revised proposal for the production version of the Overture at the Farnborough Airshow. This version has four engines and a tailed delta wing.[3]

On December 13, 2022, Boom announced that it would develop its own turbofan engine after "Big Three" engine manufacturers Rolls-Royce, Pratt & Whitney and General Electric, as well as CFM and Safran previously declined to develop a new engine due to high capital costs.[28][29][30][31] Named Symphony, the engine will be developed under partnership with three entities: Kratos subsidiary Florida Turbine Technologies for engine design; StandardAero for maintenance; and General Electric subsidiary Colibrium Additive for consulting on printing components.[32]

## Design

Computer-simulated graphics rendering

Boom's original design for Overture was a trijet, and the XB-1 test vehicle was designed and built on this basis. XB-1 took its first flight in March 2024, and broke the sound barrier for the first time in January 2025.[33] In July 2022, the company announced a redesign of Overture into a quadjet.[34] The new design features four large external engine pods rather than the two more compact engine 'box' nacelles, used on Concorde. This design has not been seen in high speed aircraft since the Convair B-58 Hustler bomber[35] of the 1960s, due to high supersonic wave drag implications. It also now features a small horizontal stabilizer. Increasing the number of engines to four allows for ease of maintenance, smaller less technically challenging engines and takeoff at derated levels to lower noise. The gull form wing and fuselage were also modified to reduce drag.[3]

Due to the low 1.2 wing aspect ratio, take-off and landing speeds are relatively high, necessitating high thrust for rapid acceleration.[36] Boom also needs to address the nose-up attitude on landing.[36] Airframe maintenance costs are expected to be similar to those of other carbon fiber airliners.[5] The Overture should have lower fuel burn than Concorde by relying on non afterburning engines, composite structures, and improved technology since Concorde's development. [relevant? - discuss]

In 2017 the FAA and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) were working on a sonic boom standard to allow supersonic flights overland.[37] NASA planned to fly its Low Boom Flight Demonstrator for the first time in 2022 to assess public acceptability of a 75 PNLdB boom, lower than Concorde's 105 PNLdB.[37] [needs update] The Overture is expected to not be louder at take-off than current airliners like the Boeing 777-300ER.[37] Supersonic jets could be exempted from the FAA takeoff noise regulations, reducing their fuel consumption by 20–30% by using narrower engines optimized for acceleration over limiting noise.[10] In 2017, Honeywell and NASA tested predictive software and cockpit displays showing the sonic booms en route, to minimize its disruption overland.[38]

In 2025, following test flights of the XB-1 demonstrator, Boom announced Boomless Cruise for Overture, which enables supersonic speed without generating a sonic boom audible at ground level. This is due to a phenomenon known as "Mach cutoff".[39] On Overture, Boomless Cruise is enabled by an advanced autopilot using weather conditions and software algorithms to automatically select the optimal speed for Mach cutoff conditions.[40]

### Engines

Main article: Engineering:Boom Symphony

The Boom Symphony engine is planned as a two-spool medium-bypass turbofan for use on Overture. The engine is intended to produce 40,000 pounds (160 kN) of thrust at takeoff, sustain Overture supercruise at Mach 1.7, and burn up to 100% sustainable aviation fuel as an option.[41]

Boom announced in December 2022 that development of the engine will be conducted in partnership with Kratos subsidiary Florida Turbine Technologies for engine design, GE Aerospace subsidiary Colibrium Additive for additive manufacturing consulting, and StandardAero for maintenance and assembly. FTT/KTT is currently a maker of microturbines for drones and cruise missiles.

In 2025, Boom announced that it is building out a facility for testing its Symphony engine at the Colorado Air & Space Port.[42] Boom is producing parts for an engine core prototype at its research and development facility in Colorado, and expects to conduct tests in 2026.[3]

### Environment

Drag increases (and therefore fuel efficiency decreases) with cruising speed, and there is a particularly severe increase in drag around the sound barrier.[43] Boom agrees that the fuel burn of the aircraft will be higher than subsonic competition,[44] but states that operators of the aircraft "must use sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and/or purchase high-quality carbon removal credits" to reduce the environmental impact.[45] However, sustainable aviation fuel is not yet widely available, with large-scale production relying on technology that does not yet exist,[44] and carbon-offsetting schemes have been widely criticized as being unable to deliver net zero.[46]

## Specifications

Data from Boom,[2] Aviation International News,[38] and FlightGlobal.[6]

General characteristics

* Capacity: 60 to 80 passengers
* Length: 201 ft (61 m)
* Wingspan: 106 ft (32 m)
* Max takeoff weight: 415,000 lb (188,241 kg)
* Powerplant: 4 × Boom Symphony medium-bypass turbofans, 40,000 lbf (180 kN) thrust each

Performance

* Maximum speed: 975 kn (1,122 mph, 1,805 km/h) at 60,000 ft
* Range: 4,250 nmi (4,890 mi, 7,870 km)

## See also

* Supersonic business jet
* Comac C949

Related development

* Boom XB-1

Related lists

* List of airliners

## References

1. ↑ "Son of Concorde: New supersonic airplane Overture revealed". BBC News. 23 July 2022. https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/62267055.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Overture". https://boomsupersonic.com/overture.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Norris, Guy. "Boom Confirms Engine Thrust Growth, Core Part Build Accelerates". https://aviationweek.com/air-transport/aircraft-propulsion/boom-confirms-engine-thrust-growth-core-part-build-accelerates.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Houser, Kristin (November 23, 2024). "How Boom is resurrecting supersonic flight". Freethink. https://www.freethink.com/energy/boom-supersonic-flight.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Aaron Karp (May 3, 2017). "Boom CEO sees market for 1,000 supersonic passenger jets by 2035". Air Transport World (Aviation Week). http://atwonline.com/technology/boom-ceo-sees-market-1000-supersonic-passenger-jets-2035.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Stephen Trimble (November 11, 2017). "Boom to make a big noise at show about shortening long-haul travel". FlightGlobal. https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/dubai-boom-to-make-a-big-noise-at-show-about-shorte-442767/.
7. ↑ Moll, Nigel (October 1, 2003). "A Tribute to Concorde: 1976–2003". AIN. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2003-10-01/tribute-concorde-1976-2003.
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Kokalitcheva, Kia (March 23, 2016). "This Startup Is Developing Supersonic Planes for Virgin Group". Fortune. http://fortune.com/2016/03/23/boom-supersonic-virgin-deal/.
9. ↑ McFadden, Christopher (July 11, 2023). "Virgin Group has decided not to buy 'Overture' supersonic jets". https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/virgin-cans-overture-supersonic-jet.
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Stephen Trimble (December 5, 2017). "JAL invests heavily in supersonic Boom". FlightGlobal. https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/analysis-jal-invests-heavily-in-supersonic-boom-443857/.
11. ↑ United Airlines [@United]. "We're the first U.S. airline to sign an agreement for @boomaero's 'Overture' airliners which are expected to be net-zero carbon and connect 500+ cities in nearly half the time. Taking off in 2029: boomsupersonic.com/united #BoomSupersonic". https://twitter.com/United/status/1400407090192125952. Missing or empty `|date=` (help)
12. ↑ Linanne, Ciara (June 3, 2021). "United Airlines to add 15 Boom 'Overture' supersonic airliners to fleet". MarketWatch. https://www.marketwatch.com/story/united-airlines-to-add-15-boom-overture-supersonic-airliners-to-fleet-2021-06-03.
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "American Airlines Announces Agreement to Purchase Boom Supersonic Overture Aircraft, Places Deposit on 20 Overtures". American Airlines (Press release). Retrieved August 16, 2022.
14. ↑ "Our partnership with Japan Airlines" (in en). November 25, 2020. https://blog.boomsupersonic.com/our-partnership-with-japan-airlines-436526bb94c7.
15. ↑ "United Adding Supersonic Speeds with New Agreement to Buy Aircraft from Boom Supersonic" (Press release). United Airlines. June 3, 2021.
16. ↑ Szondy, David (March 22, 2016). "Can Boom bring back supersonic flight without the astronomical price tag?". Gizmodo. http://www.gizmag.com/supersonic-boom-price/42414/.
17. ↑ "Potential Mach 2.2 Airliner Market Pegged At $260 Billion". Aviation Week. October 12, 2016. http://aviationweek.com/technology/potential-mach-22-airliner-market-pegged-260-billion.
18. ↑ Guy Norris (November 15, 2016). "'Baby Boom' Supersonic Demonstrator Unveiled". Aviation Week. http://aviationweek.com/commercial-aviation/baby-boom-supersonic-demonstrator-unveiled.
19. ↑ Stephen Trimble (June 20, 2017). "Boom Aerospace unveils design for XB-1 demonstrator". FlightGlobal. https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/paris-boom-aerospace-unveils-design-for-xb-1-demons-438505/.
20. ↑ Mark Phelps (July 18, 2018). "Supersonic Future Remains Uncertain, Says New Report". AIN online. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2018-07-18/supersonic-future-remains-uncertain-says-new-report.
21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 Graham Warwick (Jan 23, 2019). "Boom Advances Overture Supersonic Airliner As Demonstrator Takes Shape". Aviation Week & Space Technology. http://aviationweek.com/commercial-aviation/boom-advances-overture-supersonic-airliner-demonstrator-takes-shape.
22. ↑ Greg Waldron (19 June 2019). "Boom XB-1 schedule slips, while JAL eyes Overture". flightglobal. https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/paris-boom-xb-1-schedule-slips-while-jal-eyes-ove-459129/.
23. ↑ Cook, Marc (8 September 2020). "Boom Enters Supersonic Air Force One Race". https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/boom-enters-supersonic-air-force-one-race/.
24. ↑ Hemmerdinger, Jon (October 7, 2020). "Boom rolls out XB-1 supersonic demonstrator, lays out Overture timeline" (in en). Flight Global. https://www.flightglobal.com/airframers/boom-rolls-out-xb-1-supersonic-demonstrator-lays-out-overture-timeline/140513.article.
25. ↑ Jon Hersey (October 7, 2020). "Reinventing Flight: An Interview with Blake Scholl". The Objective Standard. https://theobjectivestandard.com/2020/10/reinventing-flight-an-interview-with-blake-scholl/.
26. ↑ Eric Berger (2022-01-27). "US Air Force spends $60 million on supersonic commercial airliner". ArsTechnica. https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/01/us-air-force-spends-60-million-on-supersonic-commercial-airliner/.
27. ↑ "Supersonic Jet Maker Boom is Building a New 'Superfactory' in North Carolina". 27 January 2022. https://robbreport.com/motors/aviation/boom-supersonic-superfactory-north-carolina-1234660513/.
28. ↑ Guy Norris (Jul 10, 2018). "Boom Focuses On Derivative Engines For Supersonic Airliner Plan". Aviation Week & Space Technology. http://aviationweek.com/propulsion/boom-focuses-derivative-engines-supersonic-airliner-plan.
29. ↑ Hemmerdinger, Jon. Engine makers sound downbeat on supersonic, leaving Boom in a bind", Flight Global. (retrieved 19 October 2022)
30. ↑ Hamilton, Scott. "Pontifications: No engines, billions shy, devastating enviro analysis, Boom's CEO still exudes optimism", Leeham News, 20 September 2022. (retrieved 19 October 2022)
31. ↑ Pilar Wolfsteller, Pilar. "CFM will not develop engine for supersonic ‘niche’ market: CEO", Flight Global, (Subscription only).(retrieved 19 October 2022)
32. ↑ Rains, Taylor. "Supersonic jet startup Boom says it will create its own engine with 3 partners after every major manufacturer refused to help" (in en-US). https://www.businessinsider.com/boom-supersonic-announces-engine-for-ultra-high-speed-overture-jet-2022-12.
33. ↑ "Civilian jet breaks sound barrier during historic test flight over Mojave Desert - CBS News" (in en-US). 2025-03-03. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/xb-1-baby-boom-jet-supersonic-breaks-sound-barrier/.
34. ↑ Schuurman, Richard (2022-07-19). "Boom Supersonic radically changes Overture design". Airinsight.com. https://airinsight.com/boom-supersonic-radically-changes-overture-design/.
35. ↑ "Convair B-58A Hustler". National Museum of the United States Air Force. https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/196439/convair-b-58a-hustler/.
36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 Bjorn Fehrm (2016-11-17). "Will Boom succeed where Concorde failed?". Leeham News. https://leehamnews.com/2016/11/17/will-boom-succeed-concorde-failed/.
37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 37.2 Guy Norris (2012-12-05). "JAL Options Up to 20 Boom Supersonic Airliners". Aviation Week & Space Technology. http://aviationweek.com/commercial-aviation/jal-options-20-boom-supersonic-airliners.
38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 Sean Broderick (2017-12-05). "Boom Lands Japan Air Lines as Major Investor, Customer". AIN. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2017-12-05/boom-lands-japan-air-lines-major-investor-customer.
39. ↑ Skyforest, Zoe (16 July 2025). "Mach Cutoff: Bending The Sonic Boom". https://hackaday.com/2025/07/16/mach-cutoff-bending-the-sonic-boom/.
40. ↑ Diaz, Jesus (2025-02-12). "A new airplane silently broke the sound barrier. It looks nothing like NASA's X-59" (in en-US). Fast Company. https://www.fastcompany.com/91277425/boom-supersonic-flight-plane-design.
41. ↑ "Boom Supersonic announces Symphony™, the sustainable and cost-efficient engine for Overture". Boom Supersonic (Press release). December 13, 2022. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
42. ↑ Hemmerdinger, Jon. "Boom picks Colorado site to test in-development Symphony engine" (in en). https://www.flightglobal.com/airframers/boom-picks-colorado-site-to-test-in-development-symphony-engine/162758.article.
43. ↑ "Transonic Flight | SKYbrary Aviation Safety". https://skybrary.aero/articles/transonic-flight.
44. ↑ 44.0 44.1 Chin, Kimberly. "Boom Says Its Supersonic Jet Will Be Green Too. Not Everybody's Convinced." (in en-US). WSJ. https://www.wsj.com/articles/boom-says-its-supersonic-jet-will-be-green-too-not-everybodys-convinced-11625047200.
45. ↑ Boom Supersonic (2021). "Environmental Sustainability Report". https://boom-press-assets.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Boom-Supersonic-2021-Environmental-Sustainability-Report.pdf.
46. ↑ Lakhani, Nina (2023-09-19). "Revealed: top carbon offset projects may not cut planet-heating emissions" (in en-GB). The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/sep/19/do-carbon-credit-reduce-emissions-greenhouse-gases.

## External links

* Official website

Template:Boom aircraft

* v
* t
* e

Supersonic transport

* Civil aviation
* Supersonic aircraft
* list

Withdrawn
from service|

* Concorde
* Tupolev Tu-144

Historic
projects|

| Airliners|

* Boeing 2707
* Bristol Type 223
* Convair Model 58-9
* Douglas 2229
* High Speed Civil Transport
* LAPCAT
* Lockheed L-2000
* Rockwell X-30
* Sud Aviation Super-Caravelle
* Tupolev Tu-244

|

Business jets|

* Aerion SBJ
* SAI Quiet Supersonic Transport
* Sukhoi-Gulfstream S-21
* Tupolev Tu-444

Current
projects|

| Airliners|

* HyperMach SonicStar
* Next Generation Supersonic Transport
* Reaction Engines A2
* Zero Emission Hyper Sonic Transport
* Boom Technology Boom

|

Business jets|

* Aerion AS2
* Gulfstream X-54
* Spike S-512

See also|

* Boom XB-1 Baby Boom
* Lockheed Martin X-59 QueSST
* Quiet Spike

Category

0.00

(0 votes)

Original source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boom Overture. Read more

|

Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Engineering:Boom_Overture&oldid=4385494"
*[PNLdB]: perceived noise level decibel
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template