Boom Supersonic on Wednesday unveiled a supersonic prototype jet, called XB-1, a significant step in the development of what the startup hopes will be the first supersonic airliner to hit the skies since the Concorde was grounded in 2003.
"The future for sure is high-speed flights, everywhere around the planet, unrestricted," Boom CEO Blake Scholl said during virtual press conference Wednesday from the company's home at Centennial Airport near Denver.
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The XB-1 is a one-third-to-scale version of Boom's planned Overture aircraft, which is being designed for a top speed of Mach 2.2 and to carry between 55 and 75 passengers.
Boom will use the XB-1 to test and demonstrate key technologies, such as advanced carbon-fiber composite construction; computer-optimized, high-efficiency aerodynamics; and an efficient supersonic propulsion system.
The first of 36 ground tests, Scholl said, will begin said. He anticipates the start of flight testing of the XB-1 out of the Mojave Air and Space Port in the Southern California desert in mid-2021 and added that the aircraft should be flying at supersonic speeds by the end of next year.
Boom's largest airline backer is Japan Airlines, which has preordered 20 planes.
Scholl said he anticipates starting construction of the first Overture aircraft in 2023, with completion slated for 2028.
He said the plane should be operational at airlines by the end of the decade.