At this year’s Paris Air Show, an American company Boom Supersonic has revealed significant advances on Overture, its sustainable supersonic aircraft, including milestones for its Symphony engine. The supersonic aircraft will fly at twice the speed of today’s airliners and is designed to run on 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
Boom signed structural supplier agreements with Aernnova for Overture’s wings, Leonardo for the fuselage and wing box, and Aciturri for the empennage. Boom has also released schematics of the aircraft’s avionics, flight systems, hydraulics, fuel systems, and landing gear – all designed and developed for optimal performance, efficiency, and safety.
Overture’s fuel systems can pump fuel between tanks in flight to provide a center of gravity control during subsonic and supersonic operations, enable sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) compatibility, and supply fuel to the engines. In addition, triple redundant hydraulic systems provide reliable power for flight controls and mechanical systems. Also, Overture’s landing gear is compatible with international airport runways and taxiways – designed for takeoff and landing on over 600 routes around the world.
The all-composite aerostructures support Overture’s contoured fuselage and gull wings for enhanced aerodynamic efficiency. Overture’s gull wings are structurally thinner than typical subsonic wings to reduce drag, allowing the aircraft to travel efficiently at higher speeds.
Leonardo will support Overture as the primary engineering lead for major fuselage structural components. It was also selected as the design and build partner for two major fuselage sections of Overture, including the wing box. The design of the fuselage has a larger diameter toward the front of the aircraft and a smaller diameter toward the rear. Boom applied this design technique to minimize wave drag and maximize fuel efficiency at supersonic speeds.
Additionally, Spain-based Aciturri has been selected to design and develop the empennage for Overture. It features a differentiated horizontal stabilizer that allows for greater control at subsonic speeds – particularly takeoff and landing.
But the heart of the Overture is the Symphony engine. Boom unveiled its 3D-printed one-third scale design model for Symphony at the Paris Air Show. The bespoke engine is optimized for sustainable supersonic flight and is designed to deliver 25% more time on the wing and provide 10% operating cost savings to airline customers.
Developed with the engine design partner FTT (Florida Turbine Technologies), the medium-bypass turbofan Symphony engine features include 35,000 lb thrust, a single-stage 72-inch fan, and an air-cooled, multi-stage turbine. It also includes three low-pressure compressor stages, six high-pressure compressor stages, one high-pressure turbine stage, and three low-pressure turbine stages.
“We believe there is large market potential for both Overture and Symphony, which will be transformational for the future of supersonic travel,” said Stacey Rock, President of FTT. “The Symphony engineering team includes many of the best and most experienced engine designers on the planet, and we’re thrilled to expand our role to include the initial assembly of engines for the ground test, flight test, and certification.”
