Commercial aviation has been stuck in a rut since 2003. That was the year the Concorde touched down for the last time, effectively ending the era of civilian supersonic travel. Since then, we’ve been flying at basically the same speeds our grandparents did in the 1960s. Boring. But things are finally shifting. If you follow aerospace at all, you’ve probably seen the white, needle-nosed jet known as the Boom Supersonic XB-1. It’s not just a cool-looking plane; it’s a proof of concept designed to fix everything that made the Concorde a commercial failure.
What is the Boom Supersonic XB-1 actually doing?
The XB-1, nicknamed "Baby Boom," is a one-third scale demonstrator. It isn’t meant to carry passengers to London for a weekend getaway. Honestly, its job is much more "blue collar" than that. It’s a flying testbed. Boom Supersonic built this thing to prove that their aerodynamic designs, carbon-fiber materials, and intake systems actually work in the real world, not just in a computer simulation.
Earlier in 2024, the XB-1 successfully completed its first flight at the Mojave Air & Space Port in California. It didn't break the sound barrier on that first go—it stayed around 238 knots (roughly 273 mph). That might sound slow for a "supersonic" jet, but in flight testing, you don't just floor it on day one. You test the landing gear. You check the stability. You make sure the pilot, Bill "Doc" Shoemaker, can actually land the thing without it turning into a lawn dart.
The XB-1 is roughly 62 feet long and features a delta wing design optimized for high-speed efficiency. It uses three General Electric J85-15 engines. If those sound familiar, it's because they've been around forever, powering trainers like the T-38. They are reliable, loud, and get the job done.
The engineering hurdles most people ignore
Building a fast plane is easy. We've been doing it since the Bell X-1. Building a fast plane that is quiet, efficient, and doesn't melt is the hard part.
The Concorde was a marvel, but it was a gas-guzzling nightmare. It used aluminum for the airframe, which limited its speed because of heat friction. The Boom Supersonic XB-1 uses carbon fiber composites. This is a big deal because carbon fiber stays stiff and strong even when the friction of the air at Mach 1.7 or 2.2 starts heating up the "skin" of the aircraft. Plus, it’s way lighter than traditional alloys.
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Then there’s the visibility issue. Concorde had that famous "droop nose" so pilots could see the runway during takeoff and landing. It was iconic but heavy and mechanically complex. Boom skipped that entirely. The XB-1 uses a high-resolution camera system in the nose that feeds a display to the pilot. Basically, they’re flying via a digital window. It’s a clever way to save weight and reduce the number of moving parts that could break.
Why the "Boom" is the biggest problem
You can't talk about the XB-1 without talking about the sonic boom. Currently, it is illegal to fly supersonic over land in the United States and many other countries because of the window-shattering noise. This is why the Concorde was mostly restricted to trans-oceanic routes.
Boom Supersonic is trying to navigate this by focusing on "Overture," the full-sized airliner that will follow the XB-1. While the XB-1 itself will still make a traditional boom, the data gathered from its flights helps refine the shaping of Overture. The goal is to create a "thump" rather than a "crack." NASA is working on something similar with the X-59, but Boom is the one trying to make it a viable business model.
The roadmap from demonstrator to airliner
So, what's next? The XB-1 is currently in a "flight envelope expansion" phase. This is aerospace-speak for "going a little faster and higher each time." They’ve recently received the first-ever Special Flight Authorization from the FAA to exceed Mach 1.
Once the XB-1 hits supersonic speeds—likely later in 2025 or 2026—the company will have the data they need to finalize the design for Overture. Overture is the real prize. It’s designed to carry 64 to 80 passengers at Mach 1.7 over water. Think NYC to London in three and a half hours. Or Seattle to Tokyo in eight and a half.
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Some people are skeptical. They have every right to be. We’ve seen dozens of "Concorde successors" vanish into bankruptcy over the last two decades. Remember Aerion? They were the leaders in supersonic business jets until they suddenly ran out of cash in 2021 and shut down. Aerospace is a graveyard of ambitious startups.
However, Boom has something those others didn't: major airline skin in the game. United Airlines, American Airlines, and Japan Airlines have already placed "pre-orders" or options for Overture jets. They aren't just doing this for PR; they want to offer a premium tier of travel that can't be matched by a Boeing 787 or an Airbus A350.
Sustainable Aviation Fuel: The "Green" Elephant in the Room
One of the biggest criticisms of the Boom Supersonic XB-1 project and its successor is the environmental impact. Supersonic flight inherently requires more energy than subsonic flight. There’s no way around the physics of drag.
Boom’s answer is 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). They claim Overture will run entirely on fuels made from waste fats, oils, and "green" hydrogen. It’s a bold claim. Currently, the global supply of SAF is tiny—less than 1% of total jet fuel usage. For Boom to succeed, the entire SAF industry has to scale up by about 1,000% in the next decade. If the fuel isn't there, or if it's too expensive, the dream of affordable supersonic travel dies on the vine.
Real-world constraints and the "Rich Person" tax
Let’s be real for a second. Even if the XB-1 proves everything and Overture enters service by 2030, you probably won't be flying on it for the price of an economy ticket. Early supersonic travel will be expensive. We are talking business class or first-class pricing.
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But that’s okay. Technology always starts at the top. The first cell phones were bricks that only Wall Street guys could afford. Now everyone has one. The XB-1 is the first brick.
The complexity of the engines is another hurdle. Originally, Boom was going to partner with Rolls-Royce, but that deal fell through. Boom ended up designing their own engine, the "Symphony," alongside Florida Turbine Technologies. Designing a clean-sheet jet engine is arguably harder than designing the plane itself. It takes billions of dollars and years of testing.
Actionable insights for following the project
If you are tracking the progress of the Boom Supersonic XB-1, don't just look at the flashy press releases. Watch the flight cadence.
- Monitor Flight Frequency: If the XB-1 is flying once every three months, they are likely hitting technical snags. If they start flying every week, they’ve found their groove and are nearing the supersonic "push."
- Watch the FAA Registry: You can actually track the tail number (N163XB) to see when it's active in the Mojave desert.
- Ignore the "2029" Date: In aviation, everything takes longer than planned. If they say 2029, expect 2031 or 2032. Don't get discouraged by delays; they are a sign of safety-first engineering.
- Look at the Infrastructure: Keep an eye on the "Superfactory" Boom is building in Greensboro, North Carolina. If that facility stays on schedule, the company is in a healthy financial position.
The XB-1 isn't just a plane. It's a gamble that the world is tired of being slow. We’ve spent forty years making planes more efficient, but we haven't made them any faster. It’s about time someone tried to change that. Whether they succeed or go the way of Aerion depends on the data coming out of that little white jet in Mojave right now.
The next few flight tests are critical. They will move from "handling" to "performance," eventually pushing the nose through the sound barrier. When that happens, the era of the Concorde will finally, truly, have a successor.