At the Farnborough International Airshow on July 19, Colorado-based Boom Supersonic unveiled improvements to the design of its much awaited ultra-fast Overture. The "world's fastest airliner" is now one step closer to being created by the startup.
Design
"It's kind of like if Concorde and 747 had a baby," said Blake Scholl, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Boom Supersonic at the Farnborough International Airshow.
Since the company unveiled the initial draft of Overture five years ago, Scholl claims that the company has gone through 50 design cycles, including wind-tunnel tests, as per the report of Flight Global.
Instead of the two engines, the redesigned aircraft design now has four. It also has a gull wing with a greater aspect ratio, a wider wingspan, and a shaped fuselage that gets narrower toward the back. The goal of all the modifications is to increase aerodynamic effectiveness.
According to Business Insider, Boom altered the Overture's fuselage and gull wings, added more engines, and reduced the amount of passengers it could carry to build a more efficient and quieter aircraft.
As previously mentioned, the high-speed aircraft will now have four smaller wing-mounted engines, which will lower the operating expenses and enable it to fly more quietly.
Now, it was built to go twice as fast as modern airliners and accommodate up to 80 passengers.
Speed
The Overture's engines will allow it to travel over water at a speed greater than the speed of sound, or Mach 1.7 (around 1,300 miles per hour). Supersonic aircraft, however, are not permitted to fly at extremely high speeds over land due to loud sonic booms, Business Insider reported.
Once it is in use, the ultra-rapid aircraft may be able to transport travelers from Newark Liberty International Airport to London in 3.5 hours or Frankfurt, Germany, in 4 hours.
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Environment Friendly
Flight Global mentioned that the plane will be able to operate with net-zero emissions and 100% sustainable aviation fuels, without any blends or additives.
"We want to completely remove sustainability as a reason not to travel," Scholl noted.
Other Uses
Overture could serve government and military activities that need quick responses through a special mission variant, as noted by Northrop Grumman.
The aircraft's unique features might be utilized to carry medical supplies, facilitate emergency medical evacuation, or more quickly monitor large areas than conventional planes. Other aircraft and ground assets could be coordinated in a number of circumstances using the special mission Overture version.
"Time is a strategic advantage in high-consequence scenarios, from military operations to disaster response," said Scholl.
When Will It Start To Fly
The first Overture aircraft will be produced for commercial usage in 2024, begin flight tests in 2026, and start carrying passengers in 2029.
Partners
Northrop Grumman said that the order book for Overture currently contains 70 aircraft, including orders and options from United Airlines and Japan Airlines.
In addition, Boom collaborates with Northrop Grumman and the US Air Force on Overture's military and defense applications.
Collins Aerospace, Eaton, Safran Landing Systems, and Rolls-Royce are some of the vendors working with Boom on the Overture program.
