Aviation Start-up Boom technologies (trade name Boom Supersonic) says it will power supersonic passenger jets with engines designed by a company better known for making small engines used on cruise missiles and drones.
The company says its 65 to 88-seat jet, called Overture, will use 4 engines and will fly up to 1.7 times the speed of sound-about 1300mph and it will use sustainable aviation fuel.
Boom said, that FTT (Florida Turbine Technologies) will design the engine with the help of GE (a division of General Electric) Additive, and the plane could be making test flights in 2026 and carry passengers after a few years. Boom technology plans to build Overture in Greensboro, North Carolina, Partly because of its location, which is near the open ocean where the planes can be tested without rattling windows on the ground.
FTT (Florida Turbine Technologies) will design the engine with the help of GE (a division of General Electric) Additive
The Denver Company generates enough skepticism in the aviation circle for its ambitious schedule and certitude that supersonic passenger flights can be environmentally benign and economically feasible- Concorde (a supersonic jet) wasn’t, so it stopped flying in 2003.
Getting the plane certified will be daunting, with regulators more cautious after two deadly Boeing Max (737 aircraft) crashes. To limit the damage from sonic booms flights would have to slow down over lands or would likely be limited to ocean crossings. And a few months ago, Boom changed the design of Overture. Founder and CEO of Boom technologies Blake Scholl said ‘I understand that people say Boom’s got its work cut out for us, we do. And the people who think we’re not going to get there, I look forward to having them on board a flight.’
Boom will reduce costs by designing an entirely new engine rather than tweaking one made for subsonic flight
Much of the skepticism has focused on the lack of an engine for the Overture. Rolls Royce ended its relationship with Boom tech this year after producing some engineering studies, other leading engine makers indicated that they were not interested in stepping in. Blake Scholl said Boom looked at a bunch of other engine manufacturers and designers before settling on Florida Turbine Technologies, which is the majority owned by Kratos Turbine Technologies, and GE Additive, a division to provide technical design consulting and Arizona-based on StandardAero for maintenance. Further, he added, the company (Boom) will reduce costs by designing an entirely new engine rather than tweaking one made for subsonic flight. United Airlines and American Airlines have made deposits on future Overtures although neither airline would say how much they put down.
