On Wednesday, we covered the Aerion AS2, nicknamed “the son of Concorde”, but the Boom Overture is truly the son of Concorde.
The Boom Overture is a new supersonic aircraft that will soon be flying in our skies. Just like the Concorde, and unlike the AS2, the Overture will be used as a long haul jet for businessmen going to meetings across the world.
According to Esquire and Boom’s website, the Boom will have 55-75 seats. According to Boom’s website, the Overture will have the ability to cross the Atlantic, JFK to Heathrow in 3 hours, 15 minutes.
Who will fly the Boom Overture?
When it was the Concorde, there was major interest from the two biggest airlines from both of the manufacturing countries. With the Overture being developed independently, this leads to the question as to who will operate the Overture.
According to research done by Flying Magazine: Virgin Airways, Japan Airlines and Virgin Galactic will operate the Overture. It is also reported that Virgin Galactic is helping in the production of the Overture. There is also the potential that after certification and the delivery of the initial Overtures, that other airlines will place orders for the Overture.
Boom unveiled a one-third size prototype of the Overture, nicknamed “Baby Boom” but officially designated “XB-1” in 2016. The XB-1 has been the main focus of the media as it is the first non-military supersonic aircraft since Concorde!
When will the Boom Overture be introduced and how much will it cost?
If you read our article on the AS2, you’ll know that neither of these aircraft are ready to be delivered. For the AS2, the introduction date is slated to be 2023, but, airlines will have to wait longer for the Overture.
In 2017, Boom Technology announced that the Boom Overture would be introduced to service in 2023. Now, Boom Technology state that the Overture will be introduced and delivered to airlines in 2025, this is due to longer wind tunnel testing than expected.
In regards to price, the Overture is targeted to cost $200 million! This isn’t including any interior or painting/branding. Whilst this may seem expensive, a brand new 747-8i costs $347 million!
You have to remember the clientele for the Overture, it isn’t millionaires and billionaires, but airlines. These aircraft aren’t going to spend days on end in a hangar, they’ll be up in the air, making the airlines money.
When it comes to the seat-mile cost of the airliner, the Boom website sums it up as:
With seat-mile costs similar to subsonic business class, supersonic flight is practical on hundreds of transoceanic routes.
The Boom website also goes on to make a prediction about business aviation in the future:
Making it [Boom Overture] the new norm for anyone who flies business class.
Will the Boom Overture- and the AS2- be accepted by regulators?
The main reason that decreased the profitability of Concorde was the fact it couldn’t fly over land. Due to this constraint, the Concorde was only profitable when it flew transatlantic.
The Concorde wasn’t permitted to fly over land due to the Sonic Booms it created, which shatters glass and is unpleasant for people to bare.
The AS2, and the Boom Overture are different- they have both invested in sonic boom reduction technology. This has made it so that, both the aircraft would be able to fly over land, without shattering glass or being unpleasant.
Boom even claim on their website that the Overture will be permitted to fly over land (at least in the US), by saying:
Supersonic flight has existed for 50 years, but the technology to make it efficient and mainstream has only recently been accepted by regulators.
By this, they’re saying that once they have built the aircraft, those aircraft will be able to fly over land, without breaking FAA regulations.
Will Boom Technology create a business jet to compete with the AS2?
Boom and Aerion, whilst both being quite similar, are aiming at conquering two different markets. Aerion is looking to become the Gulfstream of supersonic aviation, whereas Boom is looking to become the Boeing of supersonic aviation.
For now, the answer is simply no, but like how I speculate that Aerion will release a commercial form of the AS2, I believe Boom Technology will do the opposite. However, just like I stated with the AS2, Boom will not do this until many years after the first orders have been delivered. I believe that this could happen in the late 2020’s or early 2030’s.
Will the Boom Overture actually fly?
It’s great that we have companies that are looking to establish supersonic aviation again, but this is not the first time round.
In the late 1950’s, Boeing announced their Boeing 2707, which would be much larger than Concorde, and fly at Mach 3, this ended up being cancelled in 1971. Boeing clearly sees now, as it did 50 years ago, that supersonic aviation is the way forward, as they have been a major investor in Aerion.
Even Lockheed, tried their hand at supersonic aviation with their L-2000, but ultimately, this would lose out to the B2707. Lockheed Martin (the successor of Lockheed) is now re-trying their hand at commercial supersonic aviation with their Lockheed Martin X-59 QueSST.
Even McDonnell Douglas, or at least Douglas, tried to get their own supersonic aircraft. Douglas designated this aircraft as the D-2229, and also lost out to the B2707 project. McDonnell Douglas, now a subsidiary of Boeing, will not be trying their hand again at supersonic aircraft.
This obviously leads to the question “If multibillion dollar corporations with the smartest engineers abandoned it, how can a small start up do it?”
The answer is relatively simple: it’s do or die. Unlike Boeing, McDonnell Douglas and Lockheed, Boom and Aerion only have one aircraft. Whether this is the Overture or the AS2, they are only working on one type of aircraft, this allows them to focus on getting the best out of their respective aircraft.
When it came to McDonnell Douglas, Boeing and Lockheed, they were also working on other civil and military ventures. With Boeing, it was the 747, with McDonnell Douglas it was the MD-12, and Lockheed it was the L1011 Tristar.
So Aerion and Boom have the added incentive- if they can’t get this working, they’ll never take off. They have no other revenue streams, these aircraft are what will either make them, or break them!
I hope you enjoyed this article on the Boom Overture, will you fly on the Boom Overture, when/if it takes flight? Why or why not? Tell me in the comments!