55 years after the Concorde, supersonic travel is reborn with Boom Supersonic

🛫 Supersonic aviation is back! Boom Supersonic achieves a historic flight

More than 50 years ago, the Concorde revolutionized air travel by connecting Paris to New York in just 3 hours and 30 minutes. However, since its last flight, commercial supersonic transport seemed to belong to the past… until today.

🚀 Boom Supersonic has just achieved a historic flight with its prototype XB-1, reaching Mach 1.1! This is a major breakthrough that paves the way for the Overture, the future supersonic airliner expected in 2030.

What does this mean for the future of air travel? Can we hope for a return of supersonic flights for the general public? Let’s dive together into this air revolution that could change the way we travel forever.

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🛸 The supersonic dream is reborn: from Concorde to Overture

The Concorde was a technological marvel, capable of flying at Mach 2.04 and halving transatlantic flight times. Yet, its high operating costs and environmental impact led to its demise in 2003.

But the desire to travel faster than sound has never disappeared!

👉 Boom Supersonic, an American startup, is on a mission to bring supersonic flight back in a more eco-friendly, affordable, and quiet manner. Its project? The Overture, a supersonic aircraft designed to carry 64 to 80 passengers at a speed of Mach 1.7 (about 2,100 km/h).

Airlines are convinced: American Airlines, United Airlines, and Japan Airlines have already ordered 130 aircraft, believing that the supersonic market is back.

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🚀 The XB-1: a historic test flight

On January 28, Boom Supersonic marked a turning point with the first supersonic flight of the XB-1, nicknamed Baby Boom.

✈️ Flight details:
✅ Location: Mojave Air & Space Port, California
✅ Altitude reached: 35,290 feet
✅ Speed: Mach 1.122 (about 1,380 km/h)
✅ Pilot: Tristan Brandenburg, former test pilot for the US Air Force

📡 The flight was followed live thanks to a broadcasting system inspired by SpaceX. The result? A global excitement, spectacular images, and essential technical validation for the continuation of the project.

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🌍 A more responsible supersonic future

One of the major challenges of supersonic aircraft is the sonic boom, that explosion that occurs when an aircraft exceeds the speed of sound. The Concorde suffered from this, and that’s one of the reasons it was banned from flying over certain areas.

👨‍🔬 Boom Supersonic is working on several innovations to solve this problem:
🔹 An advanced aerodynamic design to reduce the intensity of the sonic boom
🔹 Quieter engines optimized to limit noise pollution
🔹 The use of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) to reduce carbon footprint

💡 Goal: to make supersonic flight an accessible, fast and environmentally friendly mode of transport.

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⏳ What will the Overture look like?

The Overture, the commercial supersonic aircraft in development, promises to revolutionize long-distance travel.

📌 Main features:

• ✈️ Speed: Mach 1.7 (around 2,100 km/h)
• 🛩️ Capacity: 64 to 80 passengers
• 🌍 Range: 7,870 km (transatlantic and transpacific)
• 🔊 Sonic boom reduction through optimized design
• ♻️ Sustainable fuels to limit environmental impact

📢 What to expect?
✅ New York – London in 3h30 instead of 7h currently
✅ Tokyo – San Francisco in 6h instead of 11h
✅ A return of luxury and comfort in air travel

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✈️ A revolution for air transport

The success of the supersonic flight of the XB-1 confirms that we are on the brink of a new era. If Boom Supersonic meets its goals, the first commercial flights of the Overture could be launched as early as 2030.

💭 Imagine a world where:
✔️ You could cross the Atlantic in less than 4 hours
✔️ Supersonic planes would be accessible to a larger number of people
✔️ The ecological impact of flights would be reduced thanks to sustainable fuels

Supersonic is back… and it has never been more promising!

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🔥 Your opinion matters!

And you, what do you think about the return of supersonic planes? Would you be ready to board the Overture? Let me know in the comments! ⬇️

🔗 Share this article with your aviation enthusiast friends!