Boom Supersonic receives first engine-building machine for supersonic flight

Boom Supersonic just took delivery of a massive CNC lathe machine to build the engine for supersonic flights.

For reference, a CNC lathe machine is basically a tool that automatically fine-tunes engine components.

Translated into simple terms, it’s the first step towards building an engine that can support supersonic flights.

It’s a potential game changer.

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Why this is great news for Boom Supersonic

We’ve seen a ton of different supersonic aircraft concepts and prototypes but it all felt a bit vaporware-esque so far.

However, the fact that Boom Supersonic is now using a CNC lathe machine for its engine is good news.

The company shared a video of the new machine on X, and it’s absolutely massive.

It’s like somebody saying they want to become a farmer and then they actually go ahead and buy a combine harvester.

The outcome is still uncertain, but at least the company is taking a concrete step toward realizing its goal.

Where are we with supersonic flights

We haven’t had supersonic flights since Concorde – well over 20 years ago at this point – but things are changing now.

Two companies in particular stand out.

Actually, the second one can hardly be called a company because it’s NASA.

The X-59, pictured below, the front man of NASA’s silent supersonic planes is built to look like a fighter jet, but has a single engine installed on top of the plane, no windows, and a surprising, 38-foot-long nose.

The American space agency has actually been testing it.

Then there’s Boom Supersonic, and they too, like NASA, have already completed some test flights.

We’re still years – or maybe decades – away from something we can realistically call a Concorde successor, but we are at least making some progress.