Supersonic flying moves closer to reintroduction after successful test flight

Boom Supersonic wants to reintroduce supersonic flying. Since the Concorde was taken out of service in 2003, supersonic air traffic is no longer possible.

The Colorado company will open a large factory in North Carolina later this year, the Overture Superfactory, where it will build the big brother of the XB-1. This model, called the Overture, could be rolled out of the factory for the first time in 2026.

The test flight of the smaller test model, the 20-meter long XB-1, went well on March 22, according to the company. The XB-1 flew for 12 minutes in California, at a relatively low speed of 439 kilometers per hour. You can see images of that flight here:

The development of the larger Overture is being followed with interest in the aviation world. The company already has 130 orders on the books from major airlines such as American Airlines, United Airlines and Japan Airlines.

“I strongly believe in the return of supersonic flight,” CEO Blake Scholl told CNN. “We ultimately want to bring it to all passengers on all routes.”

Mach 1.7

The intention is that the test aircraft will soon fly at the speed of sound – Mach 1, or 1,235 kilometers per hour. Ten to fifteen flights will be carried out over the next seven months to break that barrier.

The Overture could carry 64 to 80 passengers at a speed of Mach 1.7. He looks like this:

The aircraft are powered by regular jet engines that fly on Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), a more sustainable fuel than kerosene, which is made from waste oils such as frying fat. According to CEO Scholl, this is not as sustainable as he would like, but in the future it will be possible to travel not only faster, but also more sustainably. He hopes to be able to offer the flights for around 5,000 dollars per flight (the equivalent of around 4,600 euros).

Other aircraft manufacturers are also working on supersonic aircraft. For example, Lockheed Martin is developing the X-59 and Hermeus is also working on such a supersonic aircraft.