Boom Technology, Inc. (trade name Boom Supersonic) is an American company designing a supersonic airliner named the Overture.[2] The company is also developing a one-third-scale demonstrator: the Boom XB-1 Baby Boom.[3]
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| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aerospace industry |
| Founded | 2014 Denver, Colorado, U.S. |
| Founders | Blake Scholl Joe Wilding Josh Krall |
| Headquarters | Centennial Airport, Dove Valley, Colorado |
Key people | |
| Products | Supersonic aircraft design |
Number of employees | 150[1] |
| Website | boomsupersonic |
History
editThe company was founded in Denver in 2014.[4] It participated in a Y Combinator startup incubation program in early 2016, and has been funded by Y Combinator, Sam Altman, Seraph Group, Eight Partners, and others.[5]
In March 2017, $33 million were invested by several venture funds: Continuity Fund, RRE Ventures, Palm Drive Ventures, 8VC and Caffeinated Capital.[6] Boom secured $41 million of total financing by April 2017.[7] In December 2017, Japan Airlines invested $10 million, raising the company capital to $51 million: enough to build the XB-1 “Baby Boom” demonstrator and complete its testing, and to start early design work on the 55-seat airliner.[6] In January 2019, Boom raised a further $100 million, bringing the total to $151 million, then planning the demonstrator first flight for later in 2019.[8][9]
In January 2022, the company announced plans to build a 400,000-square-foot (37,000 m2) manufacturing facility on a 65-acre (260,000 m2) site at Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, North Carolina.[10]
In November 2023, a representative of the NEOM Investment Fund announced their investment in Boom at an undisclosed amount.[11] This follows an announcement by Boom of a "strategic investment" in the company from the fund.[12]
In November 2024, Boom Supersonic announced significant advancements in its XB-1 supersonic demonstrator aircraft, a critical step in its pursuit of achieving Mach 1 flight. The XB-1 serves as a testbed for the company’s cutting-edge supersonic technologies, paving the way for the development of Overture, Boom’s planned commercial supersonic airliner. This milestone underscores Boom's commitment to revolutionizing air travel with sustainable, high-speed aviation.[13]
Projects
editXB-1 "Baby Boom" demonstrator
editThe Boom XB-1 "Baby Boom" is a one-third-scale supersonic demonstrator, designed to maintain Mach 2.2, with over 1,000 nautical miles [nmi] (1,900 km; 1,200 mi) of range, and powered by three General Electric J85-15 engines with 4,300 pounds-force [lbf] (19 kN) of thrust.[14] It was rolled out in October 2020.[15] It was expected to be flight tested in 2022,[16] but delays pushed the first flight to March 22, 2024.[17] During the test flight, the aircraft reached speeds of up to 238 knots (441 km/h; 274 mph) and achieved an altitude of over 7,000 feet (2,100 m).[18] In the test flight on 13 December 2024, the aircraft reached speeds of up to 517 knots (957 km/h; 595 mph) and achieved an altitude of over 27,000 feet (8,200 m).[19]
Overture airliner
editThe Boom Overture is a proposed Mach 1.7 (1,000 kn; 1,800 km/h; 1,100 mph), 65- to 88-passenger supersonic transport with a planned 4,250 nmi (7,870 km; 4,890 mi) of range.[20] With 500 viable routes, Boom suggests there could be a market for 1,000 supersonic airliners with business class fares.[7] It had gathered 76 commitments by December 2017.[6] It decided to use the delta wing configuration of Concorde[21] and make use of composite materials.[6] It is to be powered by three 15,000–20,000 lbf (67–89 kN) dry turbofan engines.[6]
In January 2021, Boom announced plans to begin Overture test flights in 2026[22] and Boom CEO Blake Scholl "estimates that flights on Overture will be available in 2030."[23]
United Airlines announced in June 2021 that it had signed a deal to purchase 15 Boom Overture aircraft, with an option to buy 35 more.[24][25] American Airlines announced in August 2022 it had agreed to purchase 20 Boom Overture aircraft.[26]
Symphony engine
editIn December 2022, Boom announced the Symphony, a new propulsion system to be designed for the Overture. Boom will work with three companies to develop Symphony: Florida Turbine Technologies for engine design, GE Additive for additive technology design consulting, and StandardAero for maintenance.[27]
Mach 4 airliner concept
editBoom Supersonic is participating in a NASA-led study to develop concept designs and technology roadmaps for a Mach 4 airliner. Boom is part of a team led by Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems, alongside Blue Ridge Research and Consulting and Rolls-Royce North American Technologies.[28]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ "Boom Supersonic". www.owler.com. Archived from the original on 2021-05-02. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
- ^ Prisco, Jacopo (2023-08-03). "Boom wants supersonic plane travel for everyone — but can it deliver?". CNN. Retrieved 2023-08-19.
- ^ Rogoway, Joseph Trevithick, Thomas Newdick, Tyler (2020-10-07). "Boom Rolls Out Its XB-1 "Baby Boom" Supersonic Demonstrator Jet". The Drive. Retrieved 2023-08-19.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Vance, Ashlee (21 March 2016). "This Aerospace Company Wants to Bring Supersonic Civilian Travel Back". Bloomberg.
- ^ Kokalitcheva, Kia (23 March 2016). "This Startup Is Developing Supersonic Planes for Virgin Group". Fortune.
- ^ a b c d e Stephen Trimble (5 Dec 2017). "JAL invests heavily in supersonic Boom". Flightglobal.
- ^ a b Aaron Karp (May 3, 2017). "Boom CEO sees market for 1,000 supersonic passenger jets by 2035". Air Transport World. Aviation Week.
- ^ "Boom Supersonic Closes 100 Million Series B to Develop Overture, its Revolutionary Mach-2.2 Airliner" (PDF) (Press release). Boom Supersonic. 4 January 2019.
- ^ Bogaisky, Jeremy (Jan 4, 2019). "Boom Raises $100M To Develop A Supersonic Airliner. It's Going To Need A Whole Lot More". Forbes.
- ^ Niles, Russ (31 January 2022). "Boom Picks Greensboro For Factory". AVweb. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
- ^ "Saudi Arabia invests in Supersonic Passenger Aircraft Industry | Mohammed AlQahtani posted on the topic | LinkedIn". www.linkedin.com. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
- ^ "Boom - News - Boom Supersonic Announces New Aircraft, Engine, and Investment Milestones". Boom. 2023-11-09. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
- ^ "Boom Supersonic accelerating toward Mach 1". Globalair.com. 2024-11-21. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
- ^ Guy Norris (Jul 10, 2018). "Boom Focuses On Derivative Engines For Supersonic Airliner Plan". Aviation Week & Space Technology.
- ^ "Boom Supersonic to Roll Out Historic XB-1 Demonstrator Oct. 7" (PDF) (Press release). Boom Supersonic. Jul 8, 2020.
- ^ Hemmerdinger, Jon (27 April 2021). "First flight of Boom's XB-1 demonstrator could happen next year". Flight Global.
- ^ Scholl, Blake (February 23, 2023). "How I Built This -Transcript" (Podcast). Event occurs at 29:06. Archived from the original on 2023-03-11. Retrieved March 11, 2023. " We're going to take it down to the Mojave Desert for flight test probably around the middle of this year."
- ^ "In a world first, Boom's XB-1 supersonic jet soars in test flight". The Times of India. 2024-04-08. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
- ^ "XB-1 Flight 9". Boom Supersonic. 2024-12-13. Retrieved 2024-12-16.
- ^ "Overture". Boom Supersonic. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
- ^ Bjorn Fehrm (November 17, 2016). "Will Boom succeed where Concorde failed?". Leeham News.
- ^ Michael Verdon (January 14, 2021). "Supersonic Aircraft Can Now Be Tested Over Land, FAA Rules". Robb Report.
- ^ Hersey, Jon (October 7, 2020). "Reinventing Flight: An Interview with Blake Scholl". The Objective Standard. Vol. 15, no. 4. Glen Allen Press. p. 9.
- ^ Fox, Chris (June 5, 2021). "United plans supersonic passenger flights by 2029". BBC.
- ^ Bachman, Justin (Jun 3, 2021). "United Bets on Supersonic Future With $3 Billion Boom Jet Order". Bloomberg.
- ^ LeBeau, Phil (2022-08-16). "American Airlines agrees to buy 20 supersonic planes from Boom". CNBC. Retrieved 2022-08-16.
- ^ Pegoraro, Rob (2022-12-13). "Boom Supersonic Finally Picks Engine Provider, and It's Not Who You Think". PCMAG.
- ^ "Is a Mach 4 Passenger Jet Possible? NASA, Industry Explore Idea - NASA". NASA. 22 August 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.