Tag Archive : Edges

Boom Supersonic has taken a big step toward putting a Concorde-like supersonic passenger plane into commercial service with the unveiling of a prototype.

Colorado-based Boom pulled the wraps off the sleek-looking aircraft at a special event at Centennial Airport in Denver on Wednesday, October 7.

Officially known as the XB-1 but nicknamed the Baby Boom, the jet is 21.6 meters long with a 6.4-meter wingspan, making it a third of the size of the planned Overture aircraft that the company is planning to build.

Featuring a carbon-composite airframe and powered by three General Electric-designed J85-15 engines, the XB-1 is expected to take its first flight in 2021 in tests that will help Boom refine the design of Overture.

The XB-1 only has space for the pilot, but Overture will seat up to 75 passengers while flying at speeds of Mach-2.2 — almost 1,700 mph, or more than twice the speed