Boom Supersonic has finally taken a major step in the development of a new supersonic passenger jet.
The aerospace startup said on Tuesday that it has signed an agreement with three different companies to develop engines for its planned Overture aircraft.
Dubbed “The Symphony”, the engine that powers the plane still has a long way to go. The design of the engine is still to come, and Boom said it will turn to Florida Turbine Technologies to help develop it. FTT is one of three companies Boom has moved into making engines, saying it has also tagged GE Additive “for additive technology design consulting” and StandardAero for maintenance.
News of the deal comes just over three months after Rolls-Royce withdrew from working with Boom on concept research for the program, withdrawing from consideration of becoming an engine manufacturer.
“Rolls-Royce has determined that the commercial aviation supersonic market is not currently a priority for us,” the company said at the time. Boom said in a statement that it will announce an engine supplier later this year.
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Since then, Boom and the Overture program’s status have been questioned. The company unveiled a refreshed four-engine turbofan design for the airframe during this summer’s Farnborough Air Show, but critics were quick to point out that without the engines, anything Any airplane build is just an idea. At the time, some cited comments calling Boom “the Theranos of aviation”, referring to the fraudulent medical testing company founded by Elizabeth Holmes – a comparison that CEO Blake Scholl made flatly denied.
Boom aims to build and certify its Overture jet by the end of the decade and says it could make supersonic travel economically and environmentally sustainable. The company has received orders from several airlines, including American Airlines and United Airlines in the US
However, detractors have questioned some of Boom’s claims, pointing out that Overture would be subject to the same restriction as Concorde: Due to the sonic boom produced when traveling faster than sound, aircraft will be restricted to slower speeds near densely populated areas. This actually means it can’t run at full speed on land. Because its projected range means that refueling stops are required on flights over the Pacific (thus negating the time savings of supersonic flight), the aircraft’s advantage will be largely restricted to the transatlantic market.
Whether Boom will eventually succeed is unclear, but the deal with an engine manufacturer still represents an important step towards a successful flight and first build.
“Developing a supersonic engine exclusively for Overture delivers the best value for our customers to date,” said Scholl. statement. “Through the Symphony program, we are able to provide our customers with an economically and environmentally sustainable supersonic aircraft—a combination unattainable with the current limitations of aviation. derivatives and industry standards.”
