Supersonic Civilian Planes Return In October
This October, it will be 17 long years since the legendary supersonic plane Concord last flew. But supersonic planes are finally making a comeback with the Boom XB-1.
Image by Falko Fröhlich from Pixabay
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The company Boom has already launched the website where you can register to get the newest info. As it says: “Join us here on October 7, 2020, to witness the historic rollout of Boom’s XB-1. As the world’s first independently developed supersonic jet, XB-1 is paving the way for the return of supersonic travel.
Boom XB-1
The company Boom which is from Colorado, USA stands behind the project. Since it was established in 2014 Boom has been trying to achieve new and faster ways to travel through the sky. XB-1 is the first step towards the return of supersonic air travel. Flying at double the speed of sound would mean we can fly twice as far as to bring more people, places, and cultures into our lives.
XB-1 is an experimental prototype that has the goal of gathering information about the costs, security, and effectiveness for building the next supersonic plane Boom Overture. Boom Overture has the ambition to become the fastest commercial plane in the world that will reduce the flight-times by half. And traveling in it should not only be fast but also ecological.
Where Concord showed the ability to transport passengers at supersonic speed, XB-1 should showcase the key technologies that will allow the next generation of passengers to travel cheap at ecological at supersonic speeds.
The Cost Is Key
One of the key questions is how economical will supersonic flying be as it was one of the main reasons why Concord had to end its run. That is why the research is focused on lowering costs. This should be achieved by advanced aerodynamics, using advanced carbon composite materials, and a highly effective engine.
While the Boom Overture is currently just a project, tow large airlines already showed interest in it. Japan Airlines pre-ordered 20 of them and the British Virgin Group pre-ordered 10.
I should also mention that Boom is not the first and only company that is working on the development of supersonic airplanes. For example, NASA is working on the X-59 in cooperation with Lockheed Martin which should appear in 2021 and be much quieter than the Concorde.
Sources:
- https://boomsupersonic.com/xb-1
- https://interestingengineering.com/worlds-next-supersonic-commercial-aircraft-since-concorde-will-fly-this-year?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=article&utm_content=09072020
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