Boom is developing Overture, the world’s fastest airliner.
The last time a supersonic airliner took the skies was well over two decades ago. The Concorde, largely considered the poster child for supersonic transport (SST) carried out its last commercial flight in October 2003.
First entering service in 1976, the Concorde had a successful run of over 25 years. The supersonic passenger jet and the Tupolev Tu-144 were the only two commercial supersonic airliners at the time. However, rising costs and environmental concerns soon shelved SSTs.
But there’s a distinct possibility that an SST will soon take to the skies again in the near future. And if US Aviation Company, Boom Supersonic has their way, it may well be sooner than we think. Founded in 2014, the company intends to build a supersonic airliner, which it calls the Overture.
The company bills the Overture as the world’s fastest airliner. Although the airliner itself is a concept at the moment, the company recently took a significant step forward with a successful supersonic test flight of its XB-1 demonstrator aircraft.
Going Supersonic
XB-1 is the first civil supersonic jet made in America.
On 28 January 2025, the XB-1 achieved supersonic flight over Mojave airspace in California. Boom designed, built, and flew the world’s first independently developed supersonic jet—the first civil supersonic jet made in America.
At the skilled hands of Test Pilot Tristan “Geppetto” Brandenburg, the XB-1 entered the supersonic corridor and reached an altitude of 35,290 feet before accelerating to Mach 1.122 – breaking the sound barrier for the first time.
Supersonic travel could return with the successful build of the Overture.
Historically, supersonic aircraft have been the work of nation states, developed by militaries and governments. However, XB-1’s supersonic flight marks the first time an independently developed jet has broken the sound barrier. Most importantly, the aircraft now provides the foundation for the Overture.
“XB-1’s supersonic flight demonstrates that the technology for passenger supersonic flight has arrived,” says Boom Supersonic founder and CEO Blake Scholl. “A small band of talented and dedicated engineers has accomplished what previously took governments and billions of dollars. Next, we are scaling up the technology on XB-1 for the Overture supersonic airliner. Our ultimate goal is to bring the benefits of supersonic flight to everyone.”
Building Fast
Overture’s Superfactory in Greensboro, North Carolina.
The first supersonic jet built from airliner technology; XB-1 incorporates many of the key features found on Overture. This includes carbon fibre composites, digital stability augmentation, and an augmented reality vision system for landing visibility.
XB-1 provides the foundation for Overture, validating key technologies while establishing a safety-first culture. The aircraft will boast amongst others, an augmented reality vision system to enable excellent runway visibility. This system will do away the complexity and weight of a moveable nose like the Concorde.
The Overture will also feature digitally-optimised aerodynamics and supersonic intakes. This allows the XB-1’s engine to slow supersonic air to subsonic speeds, efficiently converting kinetic energy into pressure energy.
Overture could possibly travel at speeds of up to Mach 1.7.
The first supersonic flight of XB-1 marks the first human-piloted civil supersonic flight since Concorde’s retirement over 20 years ago. If Boom Supersonic can build upon this successful flight, it will then pave the way forward for the return of commercial supersonic flight.
According to Boom, Overture will carry 64-80 passengers at Mach 1.7, about twice the speed of today’s subsonic airliners, on over 600 global routes. Thus far the company has an order book of 130 orders and pre-orders from American Airlines, United Airlines, and Japan Airlines.
The aircraft’s engines are designed to run on sustainable aviation fuel.
In 2024, Boom completed construction on the Overture Superfactory in Greensboro, North Carolina, which will scale to produce 66 Overture aircraft per year. Optimised for speed, safety, and sustainability, Overture and its bespoke propulsion system, Symphony, are designed to run on up to 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
