en.Wedoany.com Reported - Boom Supersonic is developing the Overture supersonic passenger aircraft, designed to carry 65 to 80 passengers at a cruising speed of Mach 1.7. It has secured orders for 130 aircraft from United Airlines, American Airlines, and Japan Airlines. Compared to the Concorde, which was retired in the early 21st century, the Overture features significant adjustments in engines, fuselage, wings, nose, and materials, aiming to achieve quieter and more economical commercial supersonic flight.
The most obvious difference between the two lies in the engines. The Concorde was powered by four Rolls-Royce/Snecma Olympus 593 turbojet engines with afterburners, achieving a maximum speed of Mach 2.04, but was extremely noisy and inefficient. The Concorde's engines produced a dry thrust of 31,000 lbf (140 kN) and an afterburning thrust of 38,050 lbf (169.3 kN). The Overture, on the other hand, uses four internally designed "Symphony" medium-bypass turbofan engines, eliminating the afterburners. Each engine produces 40,000 lbf (178 kN) of thrust. Boom states that removing the afterburners helps reduce noise and operating costs, and the engines, paired with efficient axisymmetric inlets, maintain subsonic airflow during supersonic flight.
The fuselage design also incorporates new technology. The Concorde featured a cylindrical fuselage with a constant cross-section, a length of 202 feet 4 inches (61.3 meters), a wingspan of 84 feet (25.6 meters), and a height of 40 feet (12.2 meters). The Overture applies the "area rule" principle, with the fuselage noticeably tapering or expanding at different sections to manage airflow during transonic and supersonic flight, thereby reducing wave drag and improving fuel efficiency. Boom notes that modern computer simulation technology allows for thousands more design iterations than were possible with wind tunnel testing during the Concorde era.
In terms of wing layout, the Concorde used a delta wing design with a continuously curved leading edge. The Overture is also based on a delta wing but developed with a "gull-wing" concept, featuring a straighter leading-edge sweep, a sharper trailing-edge angle, and a horizontal tailplane that the Concorde lacked. This hybrid design aims to optimize flight performance at both supersonic and subsonic speeds. The nose design has also fundamentally changed, with the Concorde's iconic "droop nose" replaced by an augmented reality vision system. This system has been tested on Boom's XB-1 demonstrator, which successfully broke the sound barrier for the first time in early 2025. Boom states that the system provides excellent runway visibility without the weight and complexity of a movable nose.
Regarding materials, the Concorde was primarily made of a copper-based aluminum alloy called Hiduminium-RR58, with the exterior coated in a highly reflective white paint. The Overture will extensively use carbon fiber composites, similar to those used on the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787. Boom states that composites are lighter, easier to shape, and have better heat resistance, helping to improve fuel efficiency and accommodate the complex shapes required by the area rule.
In response to modern aviation's focus on efficiency, Boom has committed to operating the Overture entirely on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and has signed an agreement with AIR COMPANY to purchase fuel produced from captured carbon and water. The Concorde had a range of 3,900 nautical miles (7,222.8 km), while the Overture has a range of 4,250 nautical miles (7,871 km); the Concorde's service ceiling was 60,000 feet (18,288 m), and the Overture's service ceiling is also 60,000 feet (18,288 m). Its ticket prices are expected to be comparable to current business and first-class fares, aiming to make supersonic travel more commercially viable.
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