Two decades after the last Concorde took flight, the Boom XB-1 supersonic jet is set to carry its legacy by flying beyond Mach 1 speed.
The supersonic aircraft has received a first-of-its-kind approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to exceed Mach 1 during test flights.
This marks a substantial moment in aviation history as the revival of commercial supersonic flights.
The Boom XB-1 is the world’s first independently developed supersonic jet.
Since Concorde’s retirement, there’s never been a commercially viable supersonic plane.
This test marks the company’s first steps in developing such an aircraft.
The company has also attracted the attention of the NEOM City project, who have decided to invest in the company.
This investment will include collaboration on opportunities to make the region more accessible through supersonic flight.
Other than the XB-1 supersonic jet, the company is also working on the Boom Overture.
In theory, the Overture can be the world’s fastest commercial passenger plane with supersonic speed.
As per its design, the Boom Overture supersonic aircraft can carry 64-80 passengers at Mach 1.7.
These aircraft can significantly reduce the travel time needed to travel long distances by plane.
The aircraft manufacturer plans to use the XB-1 development and test flights to pave the way for the Overture supersonic jet.
Fortunately, Boom Technology is not alone in this venture.
Airbus, a major player in the aviation industry also plans to make its own supersonic aircraft.
Even NASA is developing a quiet supersonic jet that does not produce any sonic booms.
Then there’s Hyper Sting, a nuclear-powered supersonic plane that would apparently fly from London to New York in just 80 minutes.
With so many new supersonic jets in development, we might get to relive the glory days of the Concorde.
