By Vincenzo Claudio Piscopo
Boom Supersonic, the US-based supersonic aircraft manufacturer, is actively working on adapting its supersonic aircraft for defense purposes and advancing its technology for commercial and military applications. The special mission variant of Overture could support various tasks such as quick-reaction surveillance, reconnaissance, command, and control, as well as mobility and logistics missions, such as emergency medical evacuation and troop transport.
Overture will be twice as fast as current airliners and operate on 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and take-off; it will use the world’s first automated noise reduction system. The aircraft will fly without the use of afterburners and will meet the same strict regulatory noise levels as the latest subsonic airplanes.
Boom Supersonic has introduced a Defense Advisory Group to evaluate its Overture aircraft for national security purposes. This independent council comprises military and defense experts with expertise in various defense-related areas: three former USAF Generals, one retired USAF Lieutenant General, a former Senior Executive Service for the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, and two retired USAF Major Generals.
This move builds on Boom’s previous collaboration with Northrop Grumman and aims to identify valuable and critical use cases for supersonic transport in military missions. The council’s goal is to advance the development of defense versions of the Overture, a sustainable supersonic aircraft capable of flying twice as fast as current airliners with a range of 4,250 nautical miles. The group aims to optimize the Overture for government customers, focusing on the Department of Defense.
Additionally, Boom has announced its support for Northrop Grumman on a NASA contract related to commercial supersonic flight efficiency for the High-Speed Endo-atmospheric Commercial Vehicle Conceptual Design Study and Technology Roadmaps Development program. Northrop Grumman and Boom Supersonic entered a partnership in July 2022 at the Farnborough International Airshow to develop a supersonic special-mission aircraft for the US government and allies.
The company has progressed in its Overture program over the last months, securing agreements with structural suppliers and expanding its partnership for the propulsion system Symphony™. Key partners in the Overture program include Aernnova, Leonardo, Aciturri, Safran Landing Systems, Eaton, Collins Aerospace, and the United States Air Force. The propulsion system, Symphony™, collaborates with partners like Florida Turbine Technologies, GE Additive, and StandardAero.
Boom Supersonic has also secured 10 million gallons of SAF annually for Overture’s net-zero carbon flight test program through agreements with Dimensional Energy and AIR COMPANY.
Designed to carry up to 80 passengers at twice the speed of today’s subsonic airliners, the Overture aircraft is set to enter commercial production in 2024, with flight tests in 2026 and passenger service in 2029. Boom Supersonic has 130 aircraft in its order book, including American Airlines, United Airlines, and Japan Airlines orders.
Vincenzo graduated in 2019 in Mechanical Engineering with an aeronautical curriculum, focusing his thesis on Human Factors in aircraft maintenance. In 2022 he pursued his master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Palermo, Italy. He combines his journalistic activities with his work as a Reliability Engineer at Zetalab.
