We all thought that the age of supersonic passenger aircraft is dead. Well not for long! It seems like United Airlines is going supersonic with 50 Boom Overture jets! Denver-based aircraft manufacturer Boom Supersonic is bringing back supersonic passenger travel with their aircraft named “Overture”. This is still under development. Luckily, they found a like-minded company that believes that speed and efficiency will be the future. Just lately, United Airlines placed in an order for 15 Boom Supersonic jets with 35 options as announced by Boom Supersonic itself.
Don’t expect that this will happen soon as the target delivery date is still in 2029. Also, we still have to see the aircraft in metal itself.
Boom Supersonic Overture for United Airlines
The company’s “Concorde” will be called the “Overture” and this will be building on the Concorde legacy. Well it does look like a Concorde with its sharp nose and narrow fuselage. We are just not sure if this new bird will have a drooping nose and a retracting transparent visor just like the Concorde. There are also not much details about the aircraft yet as this is still under development. However, these are what we know about the aircraft.
It seems like this aircraft will be a tri-jet. Aside from the wing mounted engines, you will notice the air intakes at the rear end of the fuselage and the single exhaust at the tail end.
- Cruising speed of Mach 1.7. Still slower than a Concorde but not lagging far.
- Service ceiling of 60,000ft or within Stratosphere level.
- Range of 4,888 miles or 7,866.4 kms
- Can carry 65 to 88 passengers
- Net carbon of zero.
It is also unclear yet what kind of engines this aircraft will use. The Concorde used Rolls Royce – Snecma Olympus afterburning turbojets. With all the new technology coming out right now for greener engines, there is no doubt that this will be environment friendly. Will this aircraft be able to go on “super cruise” or flying at the speed of sound without afterburners? Well, we hope so.
Cabin configuration
Due to the narrower fuselage, United’s Boom Supersonic aircraft will most likely be configured with all business class seats. Meaning, every seat will have direct access to a window. Also, the windows of this new aircraft seem bigger as compared to the Concorde’s puny windows. This will be your chance to enjoy the stratosphere even better.
With this new technological advancement in passenger aircraft, United Airlines passengers will be able to enjoy shorter travel times. Tokyo to Seattle can be covered in just 4 hours 30 minutes instead of the usual 8 hours and 30 minutes. New York to London can be taken in just 3 hours and 30 minutes instead of the usual 6 hours and 30 minutes.
The Overture is set to be rolled out in 2025 and its target to begin commercial operations is in 2029.
