Blueprint

AEROSPACE

Boom rolls out XB-1

On 7 October, US start-up Boom Supersonic rolled out its completed XB-1 demonstrator in Denver, Colorado. The GE J85-15-powered Mach 2.2 ‘Baby Boom’ prototype, set to fly next year, will support development on the company’s 55-seat Overture supersonic airliner – with the goal of flying the airliner in 2025 and entry into service in 2029.

Digital ‘droop snoot’
Unlike Concorde’s long nose, that was mechanically ‘drooped’ to allow for a clear view ahead on landing, pilots of the XB-1 will use video cameras. Two additional oval windows at pilots’ knees also provide extra vision of the runway.

Specifications
Crew: One
Length: 68ft
Wingspan: 17ft
Top speed: Mach 2.2
Range: 1,000nm

Advanced inlets
Like Concorde, the key to the XB-1’s Mach 2.2 speed will be its supersonic engine inlets which, thanks to modern CFD modelling, the company claims are more efficient than Concorde’s.

Composite structure
XB-1 is constructed mostly of carbon-fibre components – with composite fuselage skins 50ft long.

Carbon-neutral testing
To address environmental concerns, Boom says the XB-1 flight test programme will be ‘fully carbon-neutral’. It plans to use sustainable fuel from Prometheus Fuels which turns CO2 2 from the air into jet fuel using renewable energy sources.

Engine thrust
Boom XB-1 is powered by three 4,300lb thrust GE J85 turbojets, of the same type used by the F-5E Tiger II fighter. For the larger Overture airliner, Boom and Rolls-Royce have now entered a MoU to study options for civil supersonic engines.