Elon Musk is excited about Boom Supersonic’s next-gen Concorde – and we can see why
- Boom Supersonic announced the completion of its Overture Superfactory this week
- The factory is set to produce 33 supersonic planes a year
- Elon Musk has wished the company well saying he ‘hopes they succeed’
Published on Jun 20, 2024 at 12:37 PM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Jun 20, 2024 at 6:38 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Tesla boss, Elon Musk, has shared his excitement at the prospect of supersonic commercial flights – saying he hopes the company behind the Overture ‘succeeds’.
Supersonic commercial flights were launched back in the 1970s when Concorde first took off – shaving hours off flight times and revolutionizing passenger travel.
The super-fast travel was a hit with celebrities, politicians, and even royalty, over the years, a host of famous faces climbed aboard, including Dolly Parton, Paul McCartney, Mikhail Gorbachev, Phil Collins, and the late Princess Diana.
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However, Concorde took its final flight more than two decades ago in 2003 and since then no other airplane manufacturer has produced a supersonic commercial plane.
Construction on Boom Overture’s Superfactory is complete
But that’s all set to change with the introduction of Boom’s Overture – a sustainable supersonic airliner, which has grand plans of flying ‘hundreds of millions of passengers’.
On Monday (June 17) Boom announced that it had completed construction of its Overture Superfactory – the first supersonic airliner factory in the US – at the Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Completion of the factory is an important milestone for Boom, with the company saying it will be capable of producing 33 Overture aircraft per year – doubling to 66 when a second assembly line is built.
The new jets have been dubbed a successor to Concorde and are capable of flying at Mach 1.7 with a range of 4,250 nautical miles.
Not only that, but the planes are green, with Boom saying the Overture is, on average, 80 percent more efficient than your average airliner. Impressive stuff.
Musk wishes the supersonic plane manufacturer well
Blake Scholl, founder and CEO of Boom said: “Construction of the Overture Superfactory represents a major milestone toward ensuring the United States’ continued leadership in aerospace manufacturing.
“Supersonic flight will transform air travel, and Overture provides a much-needed innovative alternative for airlines across the globe.”
Paul Mengert, Chair of the Piedmont Triad Airport Authority added: “We look forward to Boom’s success in its mission to bring back commercial supersonic flight and help the U.S. maintain its leadership in aviation innovation.”
Boom shared the news on its X, where it was spotted by X-owner Musk who was quick to wish the company well.
Replying to a post about the factory, Musk wrote: “I hope they succeed!”
Surprising, considering he recently hinted that the Tesla Roadster might feature SpaceX technology and actually fly.
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Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Across her career she's covered a wide variety of topics, including celebrity, cryptocurrency, politics, true crime and just about everything in between.
