Overture, Boom’s supersonic plane, has just lost one of its most important pieces: Rolls-Royce

The dream of supersonic passenger aviation Boom just got hit hard. Rolls-Royce, the designated partner for the design and construction of the Overture aircraft’s engines, has just pulled out of the deal, according to Bloomberg. In this way, the project loses a key element for its realization and jeopardizes the original plans to start test flights in 2026.

The British aerospace company said in a statement that after careful analysis it has concluded that “the supersonic commercial aviation market not currently a priority“. Consequently, he has decided to close his contract with Boom and has made available to his former partner “several engineering studios for the Overture program”.

Boom’s response and future plans

Boom, meanwhile, has been quick to respond, saying that “it has become clear that Rolls’ proposed engine design and legacy business model are not the best option for future airline operators or Overture passengers.” However, for the moment, it has not announced a new partner for its supersonic plane project that has just received a major redesign.

In July of this year, Boom presented the new design of the Overture. The most important change affected the engine area: instead of three engines, the company decided to implement four. In addition, it introduced changes to the wings, to minimize drag and maximize fuel efficiency at supersonic speeds. Blake Scholl, CEO of Boom, preferred to say: “it’s as if the Concorde and the 747 had a baby.”

We have to wait to find out which company will supply the Overture’s engines to transport between 65 and 80 passengers at speeds of Mach 1.7. Rolls-Royce was a strong partner for Boom, not only because it was the second largest manufacturer of aircraft engines in the world, behind General Electric, but also because it was the company responsible for the Olympus 593, the engines that powered the Concorde. more than 50 years ago.

Autonomy and environmental impact are other factors that, according to its promises, Boom must take into account. The plane must be able to fly up to 7,871 km with the aforementioned number of passengers and run on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). On the latter, the commercial aviation sector has begun to carry out successful tests, for example, flying an Airbus A380 with SAF.

As we can see, the project still has a long way to go. Boom expects commercial flights to start in 2029. United Airlines seems to trust the company. The US airline placed an important order with Boom: 15 supersonic planes for 3,000 million dollars. American Airlines also ordered 20 more planes. Will we ever fly at supersonic speeds again? In time we will know.

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