Technology
World’s Fastest Airliner ‘Boom Supersonic Overture Jets’ That Can Fly From New York To London In 3 Hours!
Imagine flying twice as fast.
Can you imagine traveling from Miami to London in just five hours? While this sounds unbelievable, in less than 10 years, there might just be a commercial airplane that can do exactly that.
This is the Boom Supersonic Overture jet, dubbed the “Son of Concorde,” brags its top speed at Mach 1.7.
That is equal to 1,300 mph, which means you can shorten the travel time from Miami to London down to 5 hours. Boom Supersonic proudly spoke of the aircraft, “Overture is our flagship aircraft, a supersonic commercial airplane that will carry up to 88 passengers.”
“We are designing Overture to industry-leading standards of speed, safety, and sustainability.”
American Airlines has reportedly ordered for 20 Overture jets from Boom Supersonic, rolling out in 2025.
The aircraft will make a debut flight in 2026, and if all things go smooth, it will fly on its first passenger flight in 2029. The aircraft is powered by four engines and carry around 65-80 people on board. It travels at 1.3k mph and has a 4,8k mile range. It travels at about 767 mph or below 1 Mach over land without the afterburners.
“The use of four engines keeps weight and temperature balanced and shrinks the size requirements of each engine, which allows the production of those engines to fall within current supply chain and manufacturing capabilities.”
Each engine has an axisymmetric inlet that is highly efficient in allowing the engine to operate at supersonic speed with subsonic airflow.
“Engine placement was selected to conform to the strictest passenger safety requirements.”
And these engines will operate with less noise because they don’t have to thrust as hard as Boom Supersonic explains, “With no afterburners and buzz-free engines, Overture’s takeoffs will blend in with existing long-haul fleets, resulting in a quieter experience for both passengers and airport communities, meeting or exceeding ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) requirements for all subsonic aircraft operating over land and at or near airports.”
Initial reveals of the interior design shows luxurious space within the cabin.
The jet has a fuselage with a larger diameter than usual around the front of the aircraft and one with a smaller diameter for the rear. This minimises the drag while maximizes the fuel efficiency when it’s flying at supersonic speed.
The gull wings are also designed to reduce friction with air, featuring a contoured profile that generates a swirling vortex on the surface of the wings, which consequently reduces stress on the engine. Boom Supersonic explains, “Particular to Overture, this wing is a derivative of the traditional delta wing found on most supersonic aircraft.”
“The delta platform is optimized for supersonic flight but does not operate optimally in lower-speed / subsonic conditions. The complex gull-wing design was selected to optimize cruise and low-speed conditions.”
The material is carbon composite which Boom Supersonic says to be a better choice.
Explaining their choice of material instead of the common aluminum, Boom Supersonic’s site says, “The carbon-fiber composites maintain strength at elevated temperatures better than aluminum. The composites expand and contract much less than metal under supersonic conditions, allowing Overture to fly at higher speeds more safely.”
Boom Supersonic also shared their ambitious plan to make them run on 100% sustainable aviation fuel, away from fossil fuels, as part of their plan to make every part of the plane to be as sustainable as possible. This is also reflected in their choice for carbon fiber rather than aluminum for the body material.
“Environmental performance is being considered in all aspects of Overture, from design and production to flight and end-of-life recycling,” the site reads.
“The engineering team prioritises circularity by repurposing used tooling, recycling components on the shop floor, and leveraging additive manufacturing techniques that result in less manufacturing waste and lighter, more fuel-efficient products.”
