New supersonic jet Overture to begin test flights in 2021
The SpaceJet M90. Sketched by the Pan Pacific Agency.Photo: Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp.
NEW YORK, Jul 12, 2020, CNN. Over 50 years after Concorde first took to the skies, a brand new supersonic jet is preparing for lift off. Denver based start-up Boom Supersonic has announced it will roll out XB-1, a 1:3 scale prototype of its upcoming supersonic commercial jet Overture, on October 7, with test flights beginning in 2021, CNN Travel reported.
The move will help to pave the way for the first commercial supersonic flights since the legendary delta-wing passenger airliner made its last flight in 2003.
“XB-1 is the first step in bringing supersonic travel back to the world,” Blake Scholl, founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic, said in a statement on the company’s website.
Boom Supersonic’s experimental aircraft XB-1 will roll out in October, with a test program beginning next year.
“Flights at twice the speed mean we can travel twice as far — bringing more people, places, and cultures into our lives.”
According to Boom, the purpose of XB-1 is to demonstrate and prove the “key technologies” for Overture, such as advanced carbon fiber composite construction and computer-optimized high-efficiency aerodynamics.
The company has also released images of the experimental aircraft, described as “history’s fastest privately developed aircraft,” in the hangar, including the completion of its wing installation.
“Our experiences in the Covid-19 pandemic underscore for all of us the fundamental human need for personal connection,” says Scholl.
“Faster travel enables us to experience the world’s people, cultures, and places. With XB-1, we’re demonstrating that we are prepared to bring back supersonic.”
The results of the XB-1 test program, which claims to be 100% carbon neutral, will allow the company to fine tune the design for supersonic airliner Overture.
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