It really does bring the boom.
A supersonic aircraft nicknamed the “Son of Concorde” neared Mach 1 — the speed of sound — in a successful test on Tuesday, that could lead to travelers flying between New York and London in just over 3½ hours.
The single-seat XB-1, a 201-foot-long test model by American company Boom Technology, reached 499 knots — about 574 miles per hour — during the milestone test at 23,015 feet above Mojave, California.
It was the seventh of 10 planned flights since March that were carried out by former Navy test pilot Tristan “Geppetto” Brandenburg, continuing “progress toward supersonic flight,” according to the company, and soaring closer to restoring the rapid form of air travel effectively and safely.
Its predecessor, the Concorde, could fly from London to New York in under three hours before it was retired in 2003, not long after a catastrophic Air France crash in Paris in July 2000 that killed 109 on board and four people on the ground.
Both American Airlines and United Airlines have inked deals to fly the groundbreaking planes should Boom’s broader Overture project — its planned fleet of full-sized passenger supersonic jets — take off, according to the company, which is backed by the U.S. Air Force.
“I’ve long believed that Overture is the rightful successor to Concorde,” said former British Airways Chief Concorde Pilot Mike Bannister. “After experiencing Overture’s flight deck, which is incredibly well designed and delightful to fly, my excitement and enthusiasm for this aircraft has only intensified.”
Boom predicted flight speeds could reach Mach 1.7, far beyond current testing, and cut travel over land by 20%.
Its max range is just under 5,000 miles at a 60,000-foot cruising altitude — typical flights are around half of that height — and could accommodate up to 80 passengers.
Along with a three-hour, 40-minute trip from NYC to London, Overture promises travel from New York to Rome, Atlanta to Madrid, and Tokyo to Vancouver in about 4½ hours.
A trip from Washington, D.C. to Dublin would log about 3½ hours, and Los Angeles to Tahiti would take about 4½ hours, according to the company, while a trip from Montreal to Paris would be under four hours, Space.com reported.
In July, Boom announced that a “full-scale engine core” would be operational by the end of 2025.
A final timeline for commercial use has not been released.
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