United Airlines announced that they will be the first U.S. airline to operate a Boom Supersonic supersonic airliner. United announced that it will purchase 15 Boom Overtures, with 35 optional orders, bringing the total order to a total of 50. It is expected to be put into use in 2029.
Boom Overture will be able to provide 65 to 88 seats and a speed of mach 1.7. The range is 4,250 nautical miles, or about 7,871 kilometers.
On June 3, United revealed that they would be the first American airline in the United States to use a supersonic airliner. The two companies also collaborate on several operational and sustainability issues for the new aircraft. If the conditions are met, United will also purchase 15 airliners and also have 35 options.
United primarily operates supersonic airliners on transatlantic or trans-Pacific routes. But supersonic airliners still face sonic boom problems when flying on land. Supersonic airliners can fly from Newark to London Heathrow in 3.5 hours. Ability to fly from New York to Frankfurt in 4 hours. It also takes 6 hours to fly from San Francisco to Tokyo.
Boom Supersonic is the first aircraft to plan to achieve net zero carbon emissions, which is one of United's highlights. Its fuselage is used in a variety of materials, including carbon composites, titanium and aluminum. And it can achieve supersonic flight without the use of an afterburner. Boom Supersonic can also be refueled with sustainable aviation fuel.
Scott Kirby, CEO of United, said: "United will evolve along its own trajectory to build a more innovative, sustainable airline, and today's technological advances are making airlines, including supersonic aircraft, more viable.
Boom's vision for the future of commercial aviation, combined with the industry's most robust global route network, will provide a best-in-class flying experience for both business and leisure travelers. Our mission has always been to connect people, and now working with Boom, we will be able to do that on a larger scale. ”
Boom said it expects to launch the Overture model in 2025 and complete its first flight in 2026 before entering service in 2029. Now that Boom has built its first prototype, it gives Boom a head start in the race for supersonic airliners. The first XB-1 prototype was 1/3 equally proportioned to about 68 feet long.
United was the first American airline to order a Boom Overture jet, and other airlines have also expressed interest and interest in purchasing. About 5 airlines are now committed to buying 76 supersonic jetliners.
At present, in addition to Boom Overture, there are three companies developing supersonic jet airliners. Among them, the product launched by Aerion Supersonic is AS2, an American aerospace manufacturing company based in Reno, Nevada. The biggest difference between them and Boom Overture is that the model is a business jet. It can provide 8 to 12 seats. It was also developed for the business jet market.
Diagram, Aerion AS2 concept diagram
The AS2 is slower, with a top speed of Mach 1.2, but even then it can fly from London to New York in 4 hours. Aerion AS2 puts a lot of effort into environmental protection, with a focus on fuel-efficient design and operations, with the goal of being carbon neutral on the first flight, and AS2 will use 100% sustainable aviation fuel. In November 2020, Aerion completed wind tunnel testing.
Figure, Speck S-512 concept art
Spike Aerospace is a Boston-based aerospace manufacturing company. It can carry 12 to 18 passengers and has a speed of Mach 1.6. The biggest feature of the Spike S-512 is its long range, which can reach 11,500 kilometers, which can fly from London to Hong Kong, or from the west coast of the United States to Dubai. Now that spike S-512s are still in the early design stages, Spike expects to develop a 2/3 size demonstrator by the end of 2021 and expects to begin deliveries in 2025.
Virgin Galactic Mach 3
In August 2020, Virgin Galatic unveiled the Virgin Galactic Mach 3 program, which will be powered by a Rolls-Royce engine. It is also a small official supersonic jet that is expected to carry up to 19 passengers.
Its name shows its own characteristics and will offer speeds of up to Mach 3, which is far ahead of the competition.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released a fact sheet on supersonic flight in November 2020. In the early 1970s, the Concorde airliner brought us into supersonic commercial flight. Many in the aviation community speculate that the time has come when passengers regularly travel on supersonic airliners.
However, due to environmental constraints such as sonic boom and inefficient fuel consumption rate, Concorde was completely obsolete in the early 21st century. Companies in the U.S. and abroad are rethinking supersonic air travel, with lighter, more efficient composites, combined with new engine and fuselage designs, injecting more potential into future supersonic airliners. Currently, U.S. law prohibits passenger aircraft over Mach 1 from flying on land.