2023 will mark the 20th anniversary of Concorde’s last flight. The supersonic passenger plane took off for the last time on 26 November 2003. Nothing comparable has happened since then, due to the deadly accident in Paris three years ago, and above all due to the enormous operating costs.
But some airlines want to return to civilian supersonic flight. To do this, they collaborate with several specialist aircraft manufacturers. The most visible player in this segment is Boom Supersonic, headquartered in Denver (USA). The company presented the first prototypes for the supersonic passenger plane in 2017.
The breakthrough seemed to come when the “Overture” model was introduced in 2022. It should be able to carry up to 80 passengers at a speed of Mach 1.7 (2100 km/h) up to 7800 kilometers at an altitude of 18 kilometers.
There are already firm orders for the aircraft: United Airlines, one of the world’s largest airlines, is looking to purchase 15 “Overture” aircraft, with 35 more options. American Airlines and Japan Airlines also formed strategic partnerships with Boom and ordered aircraft.
In this decade?
The target set last year was to start commercial flights with the Overture by 2029 at the latest. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2024 and the first test flights to begin in 2025. It has not yet been decided which airline will launch the Overture.
However, the stated goals are probably too ambitious. The first problem arose when engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce withdrew from the project. No other manufacturer wanted to develop engines for this purpose. After all, Boom was able to announce in December 2022 that it would be developing its own supersonic engine with Florida Turbine Technologies (FTT).
Title: “Symphony”. This is no accident: Despite its enormous thrust, the engine must comply with all current noise regulations. Concorde, on the other hand, was notorious for its extreme aircraft noise.
Is it a very ambitious program?
It was not announced when and where the engine will be produced. It is doubtful whether the Boom assembly plant in Greensboro (USA) will be ready in time for construction to begin in 2024.
With Overture set to enter service in 2029, Boom has less than seven years to design, build, test and approve both a brand new engine and aircraft. This is very ambitious, to say the least.
Competitors making supersonic passenger planes are also struggling. The Spike company acknowledged that there were problems in the construction of the supersonic business jet S-512. And the Aerion Supersonic company, after 19 years of existence, had to cease operations in 2021 without ever building a supersonic jet.
Not so green in a hurry
There are other question marks, such as fuel. Boom promised that the supersonic aircraft would run on clean fuel called SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel). The company sticks to it. For now, however, Overture is likely to run on conventional fuel.
Boom himself stated that the best-case scenario for industrial production and use of SAF would be between 2035 and 2040. This requires close cooperation between private investors and government agencies. It’s a topic that will be hotly debated at the WEF in Davos.