New ‘Concorde’ prepares for first supersonic flight

The Telegraph: A prototype of a passenger jet meant to succeed Concorde will attempt to break the sound barrier for the first time on Tuesday.

Boom Supersonic’s XB-1 demonstrator is set to exceed Mach 1 (770 mph) in a series of four-minute runs above the Mojave Desert in California. The US firm hopes it will pave the way for the introduction of passenger services early next decade.

The flight is expected to last between 30 and 45 minutes, according to Boom, and the test plane should reach a cruising speed of Mach 1.1 in two specially designated supersonic corridors close to Edwards Air Force base.

Boom’s jet will be flying in the same airspace where Chuck Yeager became the first person to exceed the speed of sound in 1947. Its test plane is named after Yeager’s iconic aircraft, the Bell X-1.

Charles ‘Chuck’ Yeager became the first person to exceed the speed of sound in 1947 - AP

The Denver-based company has performed 11 flights since last March at steadily increasing speeds, reaching Mach 0.95 earlier this month.

The X-1 is one third of the size of the Overture passenger jet that the company plans to use for passenger flights. It hopes to ultimately achieve a cruising speed of Mach 1.7 – twice the speed of the fastest commercial aircraft today.

Boom’s planned passenger jet ‘The Overture’ would carry about 65 passengers and cost around £200m - AP/Boom Supersonic

The Overture, which would carry about 65 passengers and cost around £200m, according to Boom, has received outline orders from airlines including United and American.

Boom aims to produce 33 aircraft a year at its factory in North Carolina, which was completed in June. It intends to double that number when a second assembly line is added.

However, taking the project from the test stage through to service entry will be a tough task, requiring billions of dollars in additional funding, including a yet-to-be produced engine design.

Would-be rival Aerion collapsed in 2021 after backers that had included Boeing, Lockheed Martin and General Electric pulled out.

Boom may face an even more formidable barrier in the shape of airline commitments to cut carbon emissions to net zero by 2050, as the industry comes under pressure to match reductions being achieved by carmakers.

Blake Scholl, who founded Boom in 2014, has nevertheless said there is no reason why the Overture shouldn’t run on the same sustainable aviation fuel that airlines are counting on to decarbonise their regular flights.

Blake Scholl founded Boom in 2014 - John Keeble/Getty Images Europe

He puts the market at more than 1,000 of the planes, based on the number of people flying business class today on routes where demand for supersonic travel would be sufficient to boost airline profits.