Supersonic: Return of flying at twice the speed of sound?

SUPERSONIC ERA: The Concorde era started on September 26, 1973, when the supersonic aircraft made its first trans-Atlantic crossing. Concorde was jointly developed and manufactured by a Franco-British team. In total, there were only 20 such aircraft ever built — including six prototypes and developmental aircraft. Only Air France and British Airways purchased and flew the Concorde.

FASTER THAN THE SPEED OF SOUND: The Concorde was known for its remarkable speed. The speed of sound, known as Mach 1, is 343 metres per second at 20°C or 1,225 km/h (761 mph). The Concorde flew at up 2,179 km/h, close to Mach 2 (at 2,469 km/h). Here the Concorde is shown undergoing cold weather testing in Fairbanks, Alaska in 1974.

SUPERFAST: With a seating for 92 to 128 passengers, it flew up to 2,179 km/h (1,250 miles per hour), from New York City to London in less than three 3 hours — at about Mach 2.04. The Concorde 216 first flew on April 20, 1979 from Filton and was the last Concorde to be built. It's now a museum piece.

AVIATION HISTORY: In 1993, Barbara Harmer, 39, one of 40 women pilots with British Airways, flew the Concorde at twice the speed of sound to New York, marking aviation history. It was the first time a female pilot was at the controls. The Concorde 216 made the fleet's final flight on Wednesday November 26, 2003. Departing from Heathrow, it made a last, brief, supersonic flight, carrying 100 BA staff, over the Bay of Biscay.

ILL-FATED AIR FRANCE FLIGHT 4950: On July 25, 2000 Air France flight 4590 took off from Paris. A piece of metal from a Continental jet that was left on the runway. The object punctured a tyre on the Concorde and then ruptured a fuel tank. The engine caught fire, as this file AP photo shows. The plane crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all 109 people aboard and four others on the ground.

DISCONTINUED: The Concorde was discontinued as it was extremely expensive to operate, restricting flight availability. It was also too noisy, with governments not allowing overflights on land. While the Concorde was a technological marvel, it was considered a financial disaster. Fares of more than $9,000 for a trans-Atlantic round trip were common. Photo shows airport employees surrounding an Air France Concorde before its last commercial flight from Paris to New York.

COMEBACK MISSION POSSIBLE? Since then, no one ever thought of ever flying again in a Concorde-type commercial aeroplane at supersonic speeds. But chances are, people could fly again at near-Mach-2 in a non-military plane before the decade is out, with new supersonic jet projects in the offing.

REVIVAL OF BYGONE AGE? The Concorde is a turbojet-powered supersonic passenger airliner operated from 1976 until 2003. BA operated its last commercial Concorde flight on October 24, 2003, from New York's JFK to London Heathrow. From 1965 to 1979, only 20 Concordes were produced. A Denver-Colorado based US startup, known as Boom. seeks to restore the age of the Concorde, but “bigger, better, and more sustainable” — also cheaper.

LIKELY SUCCESSOR: Boom Supersonic is one of the likely successors of the Concorde — with ambitions to fly faster than the retired supersonic jet. It’s a lofty goal. Boom Supersonic’s next-generation passenger jet is planned to seat 65 to 85 people and designed to fly up to Mach 2.2 (more than twice the speed of sound). Its long-term aim: Fly anywhere in the world in four hours for just $100, or at today's business-class fares.

BOOM IN BOOKINGS: In 2021, United Airlines announced it was add 15 supersonic jets to its fleet has set off speculation in the aviation industry from Boom. Earlier, Japan Airlines also partnered with Boom for an option to buy 20 of its “Overture” supersonic aircraft. This month, American Airlines has announced it will purchase 20 Overture planes from Boom, with option for another 20 planes.

RANGE: Boom's supersonic aeroplane, known as Overture, will have a range of 4,500 nmi (8,334 km) and aims to disrupt air travel, by making high-speed flights “mainstream”. It is planned to be introduced by 2030, but tests on prototypes are currently in progress. Mach 1, the speed of sound, is equivalent to 1,234.8 km/hr. Mach 2.2 is equivalent to 2,716.56 km/h, or 45.2 m/s.

BACKERS: In 2016, the company was incubated by Y Combinator, raised $51 million in 2017, and a further $100 million by January 2019. Besides Y Combinator, it is also backed by Sam Altman, Seraph Group, Eight Partners.

DEMONSTRATOR: The Boom XB-1 "Baby Boom", a one-third-scale demonstrator, was designed for flight testing, set to fly at Mach 2.2 (2,300 km/h): The full-size airplane is expected to fly at speeds of Mach 1.7 or roughly 2,000 kilometres per hour, thereby cutting trans-Oceanic flight by 50%: From Tokyo to Seattle for just 4 hours and 30 minutes, compared to over eight hours with current commercial planes. A passenger can fly from Singapore to Dubai in a matter of 4 hours or less instead of the seven hours at present.

THRUST: Boom’s Overture is designed to be powered by three 15,000–20,000 lbf (67–89 kN) engines without afterburners, with shorter maintenance intervals than subsonic jets. GE manufacturers the J85-15 engines that will power Boom's XB-1, the aircraft which the company is developing to demonstrate Overture. In August 2020, Boom and Rolls-Royce announced a collaboration to advance Overture's engine program design.

AFFORDABLE SUPERSONIC PLANE?: Boom aims to build supersonic passenger jets that can operate at costs comparable to business class travel. In terms of routes, Boom officials say there are at least 500 routes on the planet that need supersonic service. A boom official thinks at post-COVID, airlines would need 1,000+ airplanes just to take passengers flying business class today. With Overture, Boom has set its sights on one of the most incredibly complex and ambitious tasks taken on by a startup: revive high-speed flight, with an industry-standard supersonic airliner that will make the world dramatically more affordtable. Business Insider reported that Boom's Overture supersonic jet is priced at about $200 million a piece.

GAME-CHANGING TECH: In bringing supersonic flight back to the skies, Boom’s execution plan is to bring game-changing technology that would redefine commercial flight. “We’re confident we’re gonna have our first passengers by the end of the decade (2030)”, said CEO Blake Scholl. Japan Airlines has already pre-ordered 20 Boom Overture aircraft.

NEW AIRCRAFT: Boom Supersonic has set its sights on one of the most ambitious tasks taken on by a startup: revive high-speed flight started off by the Concorde, with a supersonic airliner that will make the world dramatically more accessible.

START-UP CHALLENGES: After Japan Airlines has signed options for 20 units, United also booked 15 units in 2021 and American Airlines placed orders for 20 Overtures in a deal announced earlier this month (August 2022). The greatest challenge for supersonic travel isnot technology, or that people don’t want them. And it’s not that the money isn’t out there. Rather, it’s the complex execution, and getting the right people together to do it, building a startup in an industry that doesn’t usually have startups.

NEXT FRONTIER: Supersonic travel is the next frontier of commercial aviation. Nasa’s X-59 is the latest in a series of experimental planes which include the X-1, which in 1947 became the first manned aircraft to exceed the speed of sound, and the X-15, which still holds the record for the fastest ever manned flight, set in 1967 at Mach 6.7