Supersonic Speeds: The Return Of Concorde?

Written by: The Proficient Airman, Mubashar Yasin.

Almost two decades ago the Concorde would see its demise having completed its final flight from New York to London ending the supersonic era. Will Boom Supersonic, a Denver start-up company return the supersonic back to the skies?

Boom Supersonic is planning to deliver the supersonic Overture, dubbed the Concorde 2.0 in 2025 capable of flying 1.7 times the speed of sound. This is a very promising and exciting given the demand for business travel. However, whether Boom Supersonic has the technological advancement and resources to deliver their promise by 2025 is a separate matter.

Why will Overture succeed when Concorde didn’t?

Concorde was co-manufactured by France and the British. However, there were many limitations with the Concorde that led to its demise. Aside from the Air France Concorde accident on July 2000 killing all 109 on board, Concorde was already facing high operating costs. During the development alone the Concorde overran initial estimates by over 20 times and was forced to rely on Government subsidies and high ticket prices in order to operate. In addition to this Concorde was exceptionally loud and was notorious for noise complaints.

Technological advancement, such as material science and aerodynamics could all play in favour for Overture. Let’s take wind tunnels as an example. Rewind to the days of the Wright brothers, wind tunnels were paramount in determining aerodynamic characteristics and flight performance during aircraft development. Today with aid of software simulation we can optimise hundreds wind tunnel tests in a matter hours.

How is Overture different to Concorde?

Overture is to be built with carbon fibre composite. This is 40% lighter than aluminium, the primary material that made up the fuselage of Concorde. This will subsequently lower operating costs. Overture’s contoured fuselage will further optimise airflow to reduce drag and improve fuel efficiency.

Boom Supersonic plans to address the noise by powering Overture with four modern turbofan engines without afterburners to minimise noise pollution. In addition to this, the use of smaller engines means less thrust requirements and the quieter it is to run.

Unlike the Concorde, Overture plans to run on 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) as it covers 5,000 miles at Mach 1.7. SAF delivers the same performance as conventional jet fuel but with a smaller carbon footprint.

Boom’s use of a complex fuselage – larger diameter in front and smaller diameter towards the back will further aid in maximising fuel efficiency at supersonic cruising speeds. This is complemented further with the installation of gull wings – a prominent bend in the wing inner section at the wing root section. This will enable air to flow smoothly around and over the aircraft to enhance the supersonic ability.

And finally, the average price for seat on the Overture will be comparable to a business-class subsonic flight at present. This is significantly lower than a flight on a Concorde – with the average price 20% higher than first class tickets on subsonic flights.

There has been a great commercial interest from the likes of American Airlines, United, Virgin Atlantic and Japan airlines. However, there’s one thing missing at present– and that is a partnership with an engine manufacturer. Since 2020, a partnership between Boom and Rolls-Royce was in place to build the engines for Overture but has recently terminated as of September 2022. There is no indication as to why but Boom plans to have a new partnership in place soon.

We can agree that there are unique challenges facing supersonic jet engine development. There needs to be a middle ground between noise at an acceptable level and speed for supersonic travel. Boom wants to fly 70% faster than the speed of sound whilst generating less noise and being environmentally friendly. Boom faces a difficult journey ahead to achieve its roll out in 2025 and subsequently carrying its first passengers in 2029. However, if it manages to achieve supersonic flight – this will no doubt revolutionise travel again and open a new avenue for better, sustainable supersonic travel in years to come particularly when modern-day technology is constantly evolving.