In January, a privately-funded aircraft made history by becoming the first to break the sound barrier at 35,000 ft above the Mojave Desert. The American manufacturer, Boom Supersonic, achieved a speed of Mach 1. 122, which is equivalent to nearly 1,400 km per hour. However, the most remarkable aspect of this feat was that no sonic boom was heard on the ground.
This accomplishment was the result of extensive research on sonic booms, the loud shock waves generated by aircraft flying faster than the speed of sound. Boom Supersonic, established in 2014, has made this their primary focus and is now taking advantage of US President Donald Trump’s interest in commercial supersonic flight.
In June, Trump signed an executive order titled “Leading the world in supersonic flight,” which aims to enter “a bold new chapter in aerospace innovation. ” This order lifted a 52-year ban on commercial supersonic flight over land in the United States, which had previously prevented the operation of the Concorde on transcontinental flights.
The executive order is part of Trump’s efforts to establish global tech supremacy and autonomy, as seen in his other executive orders on topics such as Artificial Intelligence and cryptocurrency. Trump’s order on supersonic flight reflects this same vision.
According to the order, “For more than 50 years, outdated and overly restrictive regulations have grounded the promise of supersonic flight over land, stifling American ingenuity, weakening our global competitiveness, and ceding leadership to foreign adversaries. ” It also states that the order is a historic national effort to reestablish the US as the leader in high-speed aviation.
Boom Supersonic believes that revoking the ban will allow manufacturers to develop supersonic aircraft at a critical time when maintaining US leadership in aerospace technology is crucial. A company spokesperson stated, “The executive order directs the Federal Aviation Administration to revise its regulations to allow for civil aircraft to fly faster than Mach 1 over land in the US, as long as no sonic boom reaches the ground. The order effectively lifts the ban on supersonic flight over the US that has been in place since 1973.
In the past, supersonic aircraft have only been developed by militaries and governments. However, Boom Supersonic’s XB-1 test jet, which flew over the Mojave Desert, marked the first time an independently developed aircraft has broken the sound barrier. This test jet serves as the foundation for the company’s planned commercial airliner, Overture. This aircraft has already received orders from major airlines, including American Airlines, United Airlines, and Japan Airlines. In 2022, American Airlines made a deposit for up to 20 Overture aircraft, with an option to purchase 40 more.
Boom Supersonic’s planned flight range for Overture is 7,867 km, and its cruising altitude can reach up to 60,000 ft. The aircraft’s top cruising speed is Mach 1.