The return of the super(sonic) jet

Tupolew and Concorde: First operations in civilian flight

Like so many other innovations – from GPS tracking to robot vacuums – supersonic flight had its origins in the military. On October 14, 1947, the American rocket-powered aircraft Bell X-1 was the first manned aircraft to break the sound barrier, reaching a speed of 1,125 km/h (Mach 1.06) at an altitude of about 13,100 meters. Almost twenty years later, the Soviet design firm Tupolew launched the Tu-144, the first commercial supersonic airliner. The Tu-144 completed its maiden flight on December 31, 1968, closely followed by the British-French Concorde, which took off for the first time on March 2, 1969.

Although the Soviet variant flew two months earlier and was faster at 2,430 km/h (Mach 2.20) than the Concorde’s 2,179 km/h (Mach 2.02), the latter was in service much longer and was more actively used. While the Tu-144 was in regular operation for only six months and retired after two crashes, the legendary Concorde completed about 50,000 supersonic flights by 2003, carrying more than 2.5 million passengers. It was considered the epitome of fast and sophisticated travel. However, its legacy was overshadowed by the tragic crash on July 25, 2000 in Paris. Combined with declining passenger numbers and inefficiencies due to high fuel consumption, this ultimately led to Concorde’s retirement in 2003. The topic of commercial supersonic flights lost momentum over the following years, possibly also due to the noise pollution caused by the sonic boom.

Ever heard of “Baby Boom”?

Civilian supersonic flight entered the public spotlight again in October 2020, when Boom Supersonic, a startup in Denver, Colorado, attracted media attention with the presentation of its “XB-1” prototype. Affectionately known as the “Baby Boom”, this model has space for exactly one pilot and is a small version (1:3 scale) of the planned Overture series airplane. The Overture was originally expected to reach a speed of Mach 2.2 and carry up to 75 passengers over a distance of 8,300 kilometers. This would have made her slightly faster than the legendary Concorde and earned her the title of the fastest commercial aircraft in the world. At the time, Japan Airlines had already ordered 20 units and the Virgin Group ten. Although the Overture will initially be used only as a passenger plane, company founder Blake Scholl says there is also interest in developing the aircraft for freight and military transports. In the logistics sector, this plane would be by far the fastest way to get cargo shipments in the air.

The "Overture" project looks like a Concorde 2.0.

Cracking “the barrier” in 2025

The first test flights of the XB-1 were scheduled for 2021 in the Mojave Desert, California, to show whether the design and technology would deliver what they had promised. Boom wasn’t able to meet the ambitious 2021 deadline, but in March 2024 the first “slow” test flight took place at only 440 km/h.

On January 28, 2025, the smaller version of the aircraft was flown to a speed of Mach 1.1 by former U.S. Navy aviator and Boom test pilot Tristan “Geppetto” Brandenburg, from the Mojave Air & Space Port, California, marking a huge success. During the flight, the XB-1 entered the supersonic range three times, landing safely after a flight of just over 30 minutes.

The aircraft is 19 meters long and its elongated delta-wing planform has a wingspan of only 6.4 meters. It makes extensive use of sophisticated technologies, including carbon-fiber composites, advanced avionics, and digitally optimized aerodynamics. Achieving the Mach 1 mark is a tremendous achievement for the company and an important milestone for the future of the Overture supersonic airliner.

The “Overture” is gaining traction

Boom’s recent success in developing the Overture has paid off: In June 2022, United Airlines announced a deal to purchase 15 aircraft, with an option to buy 35 more. Two months later, American Airlines followed suit, agreeing to purchase 20 planes with an option for 40 more. Boom has claimed in the past that each Overture aircraft will cost 200 million dollars to produce, and the order book now stands at 130 orders and pre-orders.

The roll-out of the first Overture is set for 2026, with test flights to commence in 2027 and type certification expected by 2029, while a 37,000-square-meter manufacturing facility is planned for Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, North Carolina. By the way, North Carolina also happens to be home to the first flight in the history of aviation. 
The plane will be introduced in 2029 and will be able to transport 64 to 88 passengers over a distance of 7,870 kilometers.

Time is money: Attractive options for business travelers

The main target group for this supersonic renaissance in the near future will be business travelers who won’t shy away from higher costs as long as they can save travel time. Boom founder Blake Scholl sees 500 possible routes for this target group. For example, the Overture could cut the flight time from London to New York to three hours and 15 minutes (instead of seven hours); from San Francisco to Tokyo to five-and-a-half hours (instead of eleven); and from Los Angeles to Sydney to seven hours (instead of 15). Even if current research is focused on passenger transport, an application for high-speed freight shipments may not be too far off. While the fuel and cost efficiency will certainly need to be refined over the next few years, we continue to watch the rapid development of these design and engineering marvels with wonder and excitement.