U.S. Air Force contract accelerates R&D of Boom Supersonic’s Overture aircraft

On Jan. 11 Boom Supersonic (Denver, Colo., U.S.), an aerospace company building a fast and sustainable composite supersonic airliner, entered into a three-year strategic partnership with the U.S. Air Force (Washington, D.C., U.S.) valued at up to $60 million. The Air Force awarded this contract to Boom through its innovation arm, AFWERX, and its AFVentures division, which is designed to accelerate commercial technologies. Known as the Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI), the STRATFI contract awarded to Boom is one of the program’s largest investments and a significant commitment to the future of supersonic aviation.

The STRATFI contract is expected to accelerate research and development (R&D) on Overture, Boom’s commercial airliner. Overture will carry 65-88 passengers at twice the speed of today’s airliners, says Boom. Designed to run on 100% sustainable aviation fuels, Overture is expected to be one of the first large commercial aircraft to be net zero carbon emissions. The supersonic airliner is set to enter manufacturing in 2023, roll out in 2025 and begin flying passengers by the end of the decade.

STRATFI funding will accelerate critical design and development initiatives on Overture, including wind tunnel testing and propulsion system definition. The award represents a substantial increase in the Air Force’s financial investment in Boom following a SBIR Phase 2 contract awarded in Sept. 2020.

“We are proud of the Air Force’s continued support and recognition of Boom’s leadership in supersonic flight — and we see our partnership as mutually beneficial,” says Boom founder and CEO Blake Scholl. “With STRATFI, we’re able to collaborate with the Air Force on the unique requirements and needs for global military missions, ultimately allowing Boom to better satisfy the needs of the Air Force where it uses commercially derived aircraft. As a potential future platform for the Air Force, Overture would offer the valuable advantage of time, an unmatched option domestically and internationally.”

According to Boom, the new Air Force contract also represents a further widening of government efforts to ensure that the U.S. remains at the forefront of supersonic commercial development. Additionally, a derivative of Overture could offer the Air Force a future strategic capability in rapid global transport and logistics, the company contends. Potential users and applications include executive transport; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; special operations forces; and the Pacific Air Forces (PACAF).