Boom flies its XB-1 demonstrator for the 1st time

On 22 March 2024, Boom Aerospace celebrated the first flight of its technology demonstrator aircraft, the XB-1 with registration N990XB. The flight took place at Mojave (CA) and took the aircraft to an altitude of 2,170 meters and a maximum speed of 439 km/h before landing back safely.

The flight of the XB-1 also marks the first flight of a commercially developed supersonic aircraft since the retirement of the Concorde in 2003, although the XB-1 stayed well below supersonic speeds this time.

Boom Aerospace has built this glass-fiber demonstrator to test new technologies it is planning to use on its supersonic passenger-aircraft called the Overture. Examples of these new tech are an augmented reality vision system that will increase visibility for the pilots despite the aircraft's long nose, the carbon-fibre components, and supersonic engine intakes. The XB-1 is almost 21 meters long and is powered by three General Electric J85-15s and was rolled-out in 2020.

The Overture is planned to be a four engined supersonic aircraft that will seat up to 80 passengers. So far, Boom Aerospace has received 130 (pre) orders from American Airlines, Japan Airlines and United Airlines and is also working closely with the Northrop Grumman to develop variants for the defense industry. It's newly developed engines will be able to run on 100% Sustainable Air Fuel (SAF) and reach speeds of 1.6 mach and a range of 7,867 km.

In 2024, Boom Aerospace expects to open its Overture Superfactory at Greensboro (NC). A full scale steel "iron bird" model is currently being constructed at Centennial (CO), which will be used as a template on how to integrate all the systems into the airframe.

Boom hopes to roll-out the first Overture in 2026, start flight-testing in 2027 and reach certification in 2029.

Photo by Boom Aerospace.