Prototype Supersonic Airliner to Fly This Year

CENTENNIAL, CO—Boom Supersonic has confirmed plans to flight test the XB-1 prototype of its Overture commercial airliner for the first time this year, after raising $100 million in its latest funding round. Boom plans Overture to enter service in the mid-2020s.

The 170-foot-long Overture will have a wingspan of 60 feet and seat 55 passengers. Some 30 Overture aircraft have been pre-ordered by customers including Virgin Group and Japan Airlines.

Overture will have a cruise speed of Mach 2.2 and a range of 4,500 nautical miles. It will be powered by three non-afterburning, medium-bypass turbofan engines, two under the wings and one in the tail. Boom said that Overture will be as quiet as a subsonic aircraft flying on the same routes.

The engine, the details of which are yet to be released, will feature a variable geometry intake and exhaust, a technology that was used on Concorde to increase fuel efficiency and reduce noise. According to reports, Boom has approached engine suppliers about developing the new engine.

The ASSEMBLY Show South

ASSEMBLY is thrilled to return to the Music City Center in Nashville, TN for The ASSEMBLY Show SOUTH on May 1-2, 2024. This is a booming time for manufacturing and the U.S. South is right in the heart of the action. According to ASSEMBLY’s most recent annual capital spending survey, the South is projected to account for 31 percent of total spending this year, marking the fifth straight year this region has accounted for at least 30 percent of capital spending in the U.S.

In this session, manufacturers will learn how Quality function deployment (QFD) can transform consumers’ qualitative demands into quantitative parameters that will shape the design of their product and, ultimately, their manufacturing process.

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