The measure of: Boom Supersonic’s Overture airliner

 Boom Overture

Aerospace firm Boom Supersonic has revealed the latest designs for its Overture airliner as part of its quest to make supersonic flying a reality again.

It’s nearly 20 years since the world-​renowned Concorde flew for the last time. While some companies aspire to bring back supersonic travel, it has yet to happen. 

Colorado-based Boom Supersonic is taking major steps to turn this pipe dream into a reality. Indeed, the start-up recently revealed the latest design of its Overture supersonic jet, which it says could fly from New York to London in 3.5 hours. 

Details were revealed at the Farnborough International Air Show in July during a press conference that also announced new agreements with Northrop Grumman and other major aerospace suppliers.

Boom Supersonic’s president and chief business officer, Kathy Savitt, said the refined design results from around 26 million hours of software simulation, five wind tunnel tests and 51 design iterations. 

“We had to take the time to learn, to iterate, to walk our walk,” she said. “There’s nothing like having an actual aircraft to learn from, besides the simulators, and the computational hours, which I think had resulted in a remarkable breakthrough, and a remarkable aircraft.” 

The project was developed to be net-zero carbon from the beginning, with sustainability woven into all aspects, from design and production to flight and end-of-life recycling. “Our vision has always been for Overture to be the first clean-sheet aeroplane that was developed and optimized to run on 100 per cent sustainable aviation fuel,” Savitt added.

Vital statistics: Boom Supersonic Overture

Cruise speed, supersonic: Mach 1.7 (Mach 0.94 subsonic)

Range in nautical miles (4,890 miles/7,870km): 4,250NM

Cruising altitude: 60,000ft

Overall length: 61m

General characteristics

Capacity: 65 to 88

Length: 205 ft (62 m)

Wingspan: 60[29] ft (18 m)

Max takeoff weight: 170,000[9] lb (77,111 kg)

Power plant: 4 × medium-bypass turbofans , 15,000–20,000[4] lbf (67–89 kN) thrust each

Performance

Maximum speed: Mach 1.7 (2,083 km/h)

Range: 4,250 mi (4,890 mi, 7,870 km)

Balanced Field Length: 10,000 ft (3,048 m)