27 January 2020
Boom Supersonic is planning the roll-out of its XB-1 technology demonstrator later this year.
The XB-1 is a testbed for the ideas that will eventually lead to a full scale airliner, which Boom calls Overture. It’s remarkably like Concorde in looks but has the benefir of modern design systems, technology and engines.
Boom’s founder Blade Scholl gave an upbeat assessment of what the company has achieved in its first five year.
“Boom has achieved what many said couldn’t be done,” he said. “With world-class partners at our side, including both Japan Airlines and Virgin Group, we have made significant progress on both the build of XB-1, our supersonic demonstrator, and design of Overture, our supersonic airliner.
Boom’s supersonic airliner, Overture. Top: the XB-1 demonstrator. Images: Boom Supersonic
“We kicked off 2019 by closing a series B round of $100 million led by Emerson Collective, bringing our total funding above $150 million.
“This early capital allowed us to advance progress on XB-1 and Overture, history’s fastest commercial airliner. With pre-orders from both Virgin Group and Japan Airlines, this supersonic airplane will allow airlines to offer both revolutionary service and speed to passengers.
“We announced partnerships with Dassault Systèmes and JPA Design to propel Overture’s design and development. We selected HPM to lead site selection for Overture’s manufacturing facility and signed a seven-year partnership extension with Stratasys, a global leader in additive manufacturing, for 3D printed aircraft parts and tooling.
“We’re committed to ensuring that our supersonic future is sustainable for the planet as well as for our customers. To that end, we’ve formed a partnership with a company that has a process for converting the CO2 in the atmosphere into jet fuel.
“We plan to use carbon-neutral fuel from Prometheus in our flight test for XB-1. We’ve conducted extensive engine testing of alternative fuels and will continue to use alternative fuels for flight test.
“Looking forward, this technology and other new technologies like it will enable Overture to fly under the power of environmentally-friendly, high performance fuels.
“We’ve designed a Mach 2.2 inlet with performance better than Concorde’s. We generated an aerodynamic design that balances high speed efficiency with low-speed controllability.
“We designed a flight control system that combines the reliability of mechanical systems with the flexibility of digital stability augmentation. We have arguably the best aerodynamic simulation tools in the world. We’ve manufactured fuselage skins 50 feet long and accurate to within the width of a few human hairs.
“As a company, our team grew to more than 140 members strong. We’ve made massive strides as a company in a short time. As we look forward to 2020, rollout of XB-1, and setting a new speed record for civil aircraft, we’re more energized than ever about our long-term vision for building our flagship, Overture.”
