Boom Supersonic’s XB-1 Is The First American Passenger Jet To Break The Sound Barrier
The Overture supersonic jet already has orders from American, United and Japan Airlines.
Boom Supersonic is living up to its name. The Denver-based company, which aims to launch the world’s first American-made civil supersonic jet, hit a major milestone when its XB-1 demonstrator aircraft broke the sound barrier at the Mojave Air & Space Port in California—the same airspace where Chuck Yeager first hit the speed of sound in 1947.
Boom Chief Test Pilot Tristan “Geppetto” Brandenburg brought the XB-1 up to 35,290 feet before accelerating to Mach 1.122 (750 mph). The company points out that this is the first time an independently developed jet has broke the sound barrier—past aircraft capable of such lofty velocities have historically been developed by the militaries and governments of nation states. The XB-1 is also the first civil supersonic jet made in America.
“XB-1’s supersonic flight demonstrates that the technology for passenger supersonic flight has arrived,” said Boom Supersonic founder and CEO Blake Scholl. “A small band of talented and dedicated engineers has accomplished what previously took governments and billions of dollars. Next, we are scaling up the technology on XB-1 for the Overture supersonic airliner. Our ultimate goal is to bring the benefits of supersonic flight to everyone.”
The “Overture” referenced by Scholl is the final production passenger jet underpinned by the XB-1, and the latter’s recent supersonic feat is just the latest in a series of landmark moments for Boom. Overture already has 130 orders and pre-orders from American Airlines, United Airlines and Japan Airlines, and construction of the Overture Superfactory in Greensboro was completed in 2024—at scale, the facility will produce 66 supersonic jets per year.
All of this brings Boom closer to delivering on promises that began widely circulating years ago. With its sustainable aviation-fueled four-engine “Symphony” propulsion system, Overture will be capable of flying 64-80 passengers at Mach 1.7, about twice the speed of today’s subsonic airliners, on over 600 global routes. While today’s subsonic flight from New York City to London takes 7 hours, Overture will complete the same passage in 3 hours and 30 minutes. An augmented reality system will enable pilots to through the aircraft’s long nose, and an almost entirely carbon composite construction ensures maximum strength while keeping weight low.
If the flight tests and certification process goes as scheduled, Boom says the Overture will enter commercial service by the end of the decade.
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