TheBiggerPicture boom supersonic XB-1

In October, aerospace company Boom Supersonic unveiled its one-third-scale demonstrator, the XB-1, vaunted as the world's first independently developed supersonic jet. XB-1 is scheduled to fly for the first time in 2021, and will undergo a 100 per cent carbon-neutral flight-test programme. Boom's innovations include one of the highest-efficiency civil supersonic engine intakes ever tested. This will, the company hopes, deliver a breakthrough in propulsive efficiency and prepare the air for Overture – a 55-passenger supersonic transport with 8,300km of range – which is proposed to be introduced in 2029. Boom's XB-1 virtual rollout highlighted some of the aircraft's notable features: XB-1's 26.8m-long fuselage has been optimally shaped for high-speed aerodynamic efficiency, and its carbon-composite airframe maintains its strength and rigidity, even under the high temperatures and stresses of supersonic flight. Three J85–15 engines, designed by General Electric, provide around 55kN of thrust, allowing XB-1 to fly at breakthrough supersonic speeds.