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Boom Technology

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Boom Technology, Inc.
Company typePrivate
IndustryAerospace industry
Founded2014; 11 years ago (2014)
Denver, Colorado, U.S.
FoundersBlake Scholl
Joe Wilding
Josh Krall
HeadquartersCentennial, Colorado
Key people
Blake Scholl (CEO)[1]
ProductsSupersonic aircraft
Number of employees
150[2]
Websiteboomsupersonic.com

Boom Technology, Inc. (trade name Boom Supersonic) is an American company developing the Overture, a supersonic airliner. It has also flight tested a one-third-scale demonstrator, the Boom XB-1, which broke the sound barrier for the first time on January 28, 2025, during a flight from the Mojave Air and Space Port.[3][4][5][1]

History

[edit]

The company was founded in Denver in 2014.[6] It participated in a Y Combinator startup incubation program in early 2016, and has been funded by Y Combinator, Sam Altman, Paul Graham, Alex Gerko, Michael Moritz, Bessemer Venture Partners, Seraph Group, and others.[7][8]

In March 2017, $33 million was invested by several venture funds: Continuity Fund, RRE Ventures, Palm Drive Ventures, 8VC and Caffeinated Capital.[9] Boom secured $43 million of total financing by April 2017.[10] In 2017, Japan Airlines invested $10 million, as part of a Series B fundraising round that brought the company capital to $156 million by 2020: enough to build the XB-1 demonstrator and complete its testing, and to start early design work on the 60-80-seat airliner.[9][11] As of 2025, the company has raised over $600 million in investor funding.[12]

In January 2022, the company announced plans to build a 400,000-square-foot (37,000 m2) manufacturing facility on a 65-acre (260,000 m2) site at Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, North Carolina.[13] Construction on the facility, named the Overture Superfactory, was completed in June 2024.[14]

In November 2023, a representative of the NEOM Investment Fund announced their investment in Boom at an undisclosed amount.[15] This follows an announcement by Boom of a "strategic investment" in the company from the fund.[16]

If completed, the 64- to 80-seat aircraft, Overture, would be the first supersonic passenger jet since the British-French Concorde which was retired in 2003.[17][1]

Projects

[edit]

XB-1 demonstrator

[edit]
Main article: Boom XB-1

The Boom XB-1 is a one-third-scale supersonic demonstrator, designed to maintain Mach 2.2, with over 1,000 nautical miles [nmi] (1,900 km; 1,200 mi) of range, and powered by three General Electric J85-15 engines with 4,300 pounds-force [lbf] (19 kN) of thrust.[18] It was rolled out in October 2020.[19] It was expected to be flight tested in 2022,[20] but delays pushed the first flight test to March 22, 2024.[21] During the test flight, the aircraft reached speeds of up to 238 knots (441 km/h; 274 mph) and achieved an altitude of over 7,000 feet (2,100 m).[22] In the test flight on 13 December 2024, the aircraft reached speeds of up to 517 knots (957 km/h; 595 mph) and achieved an altitude of over 27,000 feet (8,200 m).[23]

In the test flight on 28 January 2025, the aircraft broke the sound barrier, reaching speeds up to 650 knots (1,200 km/h; 750 mph) and achieved an altitude of over 35,000 feet (11,000 m).[24] The aircraft became the first privately funded aircraft to break the sound barrier, reaching a speed of Mach 1.122.[25] The company said XB-1 achieved supersonic flight without generating an audible sonic boom that reached the ground after refining its sonic boom models and improving algorithms for predicting Mach cutoff conditions.[26][27]

Overture airliner

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Main article: Boom Overture

The Boom Overture is a proposed supersonic transport development to achieve an airspeed of Mach 1.7 (1,000 kn; 1,800 km/h; 1,100 mph), accommodate 65 to 80 passengers and a planned range of 4,250 nmi (7,870 km; 4,890 mi).[28] Boom said there could be a market for 1,000 supersonic airliners, and suggests airlines could charge business class fares.[10] It had gathered 76 commitments by December 2017.[9] It decided to use the delta wing configuration of Concorde[29] and make use of composite materials.[9] It is to be powered by three 15,000–20,000 lbf (67–89 kN) dry turbofan engines.[9]

In January 2021, Boom announced plans to begin Overture test flights in 2027[30] and Boom CEO Blake Scholl "estimates that flights on Overture will be available in 2030."[31]

United Airlines announced in June 2021 that it had signed a deal to purchase 15 Boom Overture aircraft, with an option to buy 35 more.[32][33] American Airlines announced in August 2022 it had agreed to purchase 20 Boom Overture aircraft.[34]

Symphony engine

[edit]
Main article: Boom Symphony

In December 2022, Boom announced the Symphony, a new propulsion system to be designed for the Overture. Boom will work with three companies to develop Symphony: Florida Turbine Technologies for engine design, GE Additive for additive technology design consulting, and StandardAero for maintenance.[35] In April 2025, Boom acquired a former Reaction Engines hypersonic test facility at Colorado Air and Space Port, to serve as the dedicated test site for the Symphony engine.[36]

Mach 4 airliner concept

[edit]

Boom Supersonic is participating in a NASA-led study to develop concept designs and technology roadmaps for a Mach 4 airliner. Boom is part of a team led by Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems, alongside Blue Ridge Research and Consulting and Rolls-Royce North American Technologies.[37]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Batchelor, Tom (February 5, 2025). "Boom's Overture to be airborne in 'four years'". AGN. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
  2. ^ "Boom Supersonic". www.owler.com. Archived from the original on May 2, 2021. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
  3. ^ Prisco, Jacopo (August 3, 2023). "Boom wants supersonic plane travel for everyone — but can it deliver?". CNN. Archived from the original on August 19, 2023. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
  4. ^ Rogoway, Joseph Trevithick, Thomas Newdick, Tyler (October 7, 2020). "Boom Rolls Out Its XB-1 "Baby Boom" Supersonic Demonstrator Jet". The Drive. Retrieved August 19, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ O'Hare, Maureen (January 28, 2025). "Boom: America's answer to Concorde prepares for first supersonic flight". CNN. Archived from the original on January 29, 2025. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  6. ^ Vance, Ashlee (March 21, 2016). "This Aerospace Company Wants to Bring Supersonic Civilian Travel Back". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on September 6, 2017. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  7. ^ Kokalitcheva, Kia (March 23, 2016). "This Startup Is Developing Supersonic Planes for Virgin Group". Fortune. Archived from the original on August 7, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
  8. ^ Hill, David (December 18, 2024). "Boom Supersonic founder touts raising $100M from donors including new round of funding OpenAI CEO, LinkedIn co-founder". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved July 30, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ a b c d e Stephen Trimble (December 5, 2017). "JAL invests heavily in supersonic Boom". Flightglobal. Archived from the original on March 9, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
  10. ^ a b Aaron Karp (May 3, 2017). "Boom CEO sees market for 1,000 supersonic passenger jets by 2035". Air Transport World. Aviation Week. Archived from the original on January 27, 2019. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
  11. ^ "Boom - Overture". Boom. Retrieved July 30, 2025.
  12. ^ Sider, Sharon Terlep and Alison. "New York to Paris in Under Four Hours? Inside the Effort to Build the Next Concorde". WSJ. Retrieved July 30, 2025.
  13. ^ Niles, Russ (January 31, 2022). "Boom Picks Greensboro For Factory". AVweb. Archived from the original on February 14, 2022. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  14. ^ "Boom Supersonic completes construction of Overture Superfactory at PTI in Greensboro". FOX8 WGHP. June 17, 2024. Archived from the original on March 9, 2025. Retrieved July 30, 2025.
  15. ^ "Saudi Arabia invests in Supersonic Passenger Aircraft Industry | Mohammed AlQahtani posted on the topic | LinkedIn". www.linkedin.com. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  16. ^ "Boom - News - Boom Supersonic Announces New Aircraft, Engine, and Investment Milestones". Boom. November 9, 2023. Archived from the original on November 15, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  17. ^ Mike Wall (January 28, 2025). "Boom Supersonic to break sound barrier during historic test flight today: Watch live". Space.com. Archived from the original on January 28, 2025. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
  18. ^ Guy Norris (July 10, 2018). "Boom Focuses On Derivative Engines For Supersonic Airliner Plan". Aviation Week & Space Technology.
  19. ^ "Boom Supersonic to Roll Out Historic XB-1 Demonstrator Oct. 7" (PDF) (Press release). Boom Supersonic. July 8, 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 31, 2022. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  20. ^ Hemmerdinger, Jon (April 27, 2021). "First flight of Boom's XB-1 demonstrator could happen next year". Flight Global. Archived from the original on November 8, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
  21. ^ Scholl, Blake (February 23, 2023). "How I Built This -Transcript" (Podcast). Event occurs at 29:06. Archived from the original on March 11, 2023. Retrieved March 11, 2023. " We're going to take it down to the Mojave Desert for flight test probably around the middle of this year."
  22. ^ "In a world first, Boom's XB-1 supersonic jet soars in test flight". The Times of India. April 8, 2024. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on June 23, 2024. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
  23. ^ "XB-1 Flight 9". Boom Supersonic. December 13, 2024. Archived from the original on October 9, 2024. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
  24. ^ "Boom Achieves Supersonic Flight". Boom Supersonic. January 28, 2025. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
  25. ^ Berger, Eric (January 28, 2025). "For the first time, a privately developed aircraft has flown faster than sound". Ars Technica. Retrieved February 3, 2025.
  26. ^ Hsu, Jeremy (February 10, 2025). "How the XB-1 aircraft went supersonic without a sonic boom". New Scientist.
  27. ^ Varley, Len (February 11, 2025). "Breaking the Sound Barrier, Quietly: Boom Supersonic's 'Boomless' Breakthrough". Aviation Source News.
  28. ^ "Overture". Boom Supersonic. Archived from the original on July 23, 2022. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
  29. ^ Bjorn Fehrm (November 17, 2016). "Will Boom succeed where Concorde failed?". Leeham News. Archived from the original on June 5, 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2016.
  30. ^ Michael Verdon (January 14, 2021). "Supersonic Aircraft Can Now Be Tested Over Land, FAA Rules". Robb Report. Archived from the original on April 11, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  31. ^ Hersey, Jon (October 7, 2020). "Reinventing Flight: An Interview with Blake Scholl". The Objective Standard. Vol. 15, no. 4. Glen Allen Press. p. 9. Archived from the original on July 8, 2021. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  32. ^ Fox, Chris (June 5, 2021). "United plans supersonic passenger flights by 2029". BBC. Archived from the original on February 8, 2022. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  33. ^ Bachman, Justin (June 3, 2021). "United Bets on Supersonic Future With $3 Billion Boom Jet Order". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on February 21, 2022. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  34. ^ LeBeau, Phil (August 16, 2022). "American Airlines agrees to buy 20 supersonic planes from Boom". CNBC. Archived from the original on August 16, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  35. ^ Pegoraro, Rob (December 13, 2022). "Boom Supersonic Finally Picks Engine Provider, and It's Not Who You Think". PCMAG. Archived from the original on September 14, 2024. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
  36. ^ Charpentreau, Clement (April 27, 2025). "Boom Supersonic secures site for Symphony engine testing". www.aerotime.aero. Retrieved May 14, 2025.
  37. ^ "Is a Mach 4 Passenger Jet Possible? NASA, Industry Explore Idea - NASA". NASA. August 22, 2023. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
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