Boom Technology facts for kids
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| Private | |
| Industry | Aerospace industry |
| Founded | 2014 Denver, Colorado, U.S. |
| Founders | Blake Scholl Joe Wilding Josh Krall |
| Headquarters | Centennial Airport, Dove Valley, Colorado |
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Key people
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| Products | Supersonic aircraft design |
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Number of employees
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150 |
Boom Supersonic is an American company that designs super-fast airplanes. These planes, called supersonic airliners, can fly faster than the speed of sound! The company is working on a passenger jet called the Overture. They are also testing a smaller, one-third-scale plane called the XB-1 "Baby Boom". On January 28, 2025, the XB-1 aircraft flew faster than sound for the very first time, taking off from the Mojave Air and Space Port.
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History of Boom Supersonic
Boom Supersonic started in Denver, Colorado, in 2014. The company joined a special program called Y Combinator in 2016. This program helps new companies get started. Many investors, like Y Combinator and Sam Altman, helped fund Boom Supersonic.
In March 2017, different investment groups put $33 million into the company. By April 2017, Boom had raised a total of $41 million. Later that year, in December 2017, Japan Airlines invested $10 million. This brought the company's total money to $51 million. This money was enough to build and test the XB-1 "Baby Boom" plane. It also helped them start designing the larger 55-seat Overture airliner. In January 2019, Boom raised another $100 million, making their total funding $151 million.
In January 2022, Boom announced plans to build a huge factory in Greensboro, North Carolina. This factory will be about 400,000-square-foot (37,000 m2) (the size of about seven football fields!).
In November 2023, the NEOM Investment Fund announced they had invested in Boom. This shows more support for the company's plans.
In November 2024, Boom Supersonic shared that their XB-1 plane had finished eight of its ten planned test flights. The XB-1 is a very important step before Boom builds its first supersonic passenger jet, the Overture. The Overture will be the first super-fast passenger plane since the British-French Concorde, which stopped flying in 2003.
Boom Supersonic Projects
XB-1 "Baby Boom" Demonstrator
The Boom XB-1 "Baby Boom" is a smaller, one-third-scale version of a supersonic jet. It's designed to fly at Mach 2.2, which is more than twice the speed of sound! It can fly over 1,000 nautical miles [nmi] (1,900 km; 1,200 mi) (about 1,150 miles). The XB-1 uses three General Electric J85-15 engines.
The XB-1 was shown to the public in October 2020. Its first flight test happened on March 22, 2024. During that flight, the plane reached speeds of up to 238 knots (441 km/h; 274 mph) (about 274 mph) and flew as high as 7,000 feet (2,100 m) (about 2,130 meters). In another test flight on December 13, 2024, the aircraft flew even faster, reaching 517 knots (957 km/h; 595 mph) (about 595 mph) and an altitude of over 27,000 feet (8,200 m) (about 8,230 meters).
Overture Airliner
The Boom Overture is a planned supersonic transport jet. It's designed to fly at Mach 1.7 (1.7 times the speed of sound) and carry 65 to 88 passengers. It will have a range of about 4,250 nmi (7,870 km; 4,890 mi) (about 4,890 miles).
Boom believes there could be a need for 1,000 supersonic airliners on 500 different routes around the world. By December 2017, they had already received interest for 76 planes. The Overture will look similar to the Concorde with its delta wing shape. It will also use strong, lightweight composite materials. The plane will be powered by three special turbofan engines.
In January 2021, Boom announced that they plan to start test flights for the Overture in 2026. Boom CEO Blake Scholl thinks that passengers could be flying on the Overture by 2030.
In June 2021, United Airlines announced they would buy 15 Overture aircraft, with an option to buy 35 more. Then, in August 2022, American Airlines also agreed to purchase 20 Overture planes.
Symphony Engine
In December 2022, Boom announced a new engine system called Symphony. This engine is being designed specifically for the Overture jet. Boom is working with three companies to create Symphony: Florida Turbine Technologies for the engine design, GE Additive for special manufacturing help, and StandardAero for maintenance.
Mach 4 Airliner Concept
Boom Supersonic is also part of a study led by NASA. This study aims to create ideas and plans for an even faster airliner that could fly at Mach 4 (four times the speed of sound!). Boom is working with a team that includes Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems, Blue Ridge Research and Consulting, and Rolls-Royce North American Technologies.
See also
In Spanish: Boom Technology para niños
- Supersonic business jet
- Aerion
- Concorde
- Exosonic
- Spike S-512
