Tuesday, July 23, 2024
Reading Time: 4 minutes
Boom Supersonic unveiled significant advancements in their Overture airliner and Symphony engine projects during the Farnborough International Airshow. The company is revolutionizing the pilot experience with a newly designed flight deck prioritizing safety. Significant strides have been made in the development of the Symphony engine, with hardware tests already taking place and the first complete engine core expected to be operational within 18 months. Furthermore, Boom Supersonic revealed that the assembly of the Symphony engine will occur in San Antonio, Texas, thanks to a broadened partnership with StandardAero.
These updates follow a series of important achievements for Boom. Earlier in March, the company successfully completed the inaugural flight of the XB-1 supersonic demonstrator. In June, they announced the completion of the Overture Superfactory in Greensboro, North Carolina.
“Passengers and airlines are hungry for supersonic flight,” said Blake Scholl, founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic. “Following XB-1’s successful test flight, we’re accelerating. Overture features an all-new flight deck, incorporating extensive pilot feedback, resulting in a flying experience that is both innovative and instantly familiar. Our Symphony engine has quickly progressed through design into hardware rig testing, and with a fully operational engine core on track for next year, our rapid development approach is pacing ahead of schedule.”
Boom Supersonic continues to collaborate with airlines and top-tier industry vendors, constantly enhancing its partnerships. The Overture airliner’s flight deck integrates the pioneering Honeywell Anthem avionics suite. Additionally, today marks the inclusion of Universal Avionics in the Overture project, introducing an innovative head-worn vision system into the cockpit. Collaboration with BAE Systems has enabled the incorporation of Active Control Sidesticks into the Overture flight deck simulator showcased at the Farnborough International Airshow.
Boom Supersonic is revolutionizing the cockpit with a brand-new flight deck design. Building on decades of aviation safety advancements and extensive input from airline, business, and military pilots, the Overture flight deck enhances situational awareness and operational ease for pilots, ensuring the highest safety standards for passengers.
The Overture cockpit is designed to maximize pilot efficiency and safety through advanced automation and protective systems. It includes a force-feedback mechanism that gives pilots tactile feedback on the airplane’s handling. Noteworthy features of the Overture flight deck include:
- Force-feedback Sidesticks: A first for airliners, these sidesticks provide tactile feedback from both the aircraft’s maneuvers and any inputs from the co-pilot or autopilot.
- Autoland and Augmented Reality Systems: Leveraging technology tested on the XB-1, these systems provide augmented reality visuals for precise takeoffs and landings without the need for the traditional droop nose seen on Concorde.
- Interactive 17-inch Touchscreens: These large touchscreens simplify the cockpit by replacing numerous switches and buttons, making every function manageable through digital interfaces, with key physical controls reserved for essential operations.
- Continuous Software Updates: Overture’s systems will receive over-the-air updates, continuously enhancing functionality and performance with new features as they become available.
Recently, Boom conducted a series of test flights involving the updated flight deck with experienced commercial pilots, including Mike Bannister, the former lead pilot for British Airways’ Concorde fleet.
“I’ve long believed that Overture is the rightful successor to Concorde,” said Mike Bannister, former Chief Concorde Pilot for British Airways. “After experiencing Overture’s flight deck, which is incredibly well designed and delightful to fly, my excitement and enthusiasm for this aircraft has only intensified.”
Boom Supersonic has made significant progress with its Symphony engine, having started the construction and rig testing of Symphony components as early as June. The initial phase includes a comprehensive aerodynamics test of the engine’s combustor using a full-scale model. The team has also successfully manufactured the first 3D-printed elements for the engine, such as fuel nozzles and turbine center frames.
These developments come just 18 months after Symphony was first unveiled, highlighting Boom’s swift and efficient engineering process. To ensure thorough validation and refinement of the engine’s numerous components—from the acoustics of the fan and nozzle to the fuel efficiency of the combustor—Boom plans to conduct over 30 specific hardware rig tests.
Furthermore, Boom has expedited the creation of a full-scale operational engine core, scheduled for completion by the end of 2025. This phase will involve detailed testing of the compressor, combustor, and turbine sections to collect data crucial for fine-tuning design and speeding up the engine’s final production. With this accelerated development timeline, Boom anticipates multiple iterations of building and testing prior to achieving a fully certified engine.
In addition, Boom has broadened its maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) collaboration with StandardAero to encompass the assembly of the Symphony engine. StandardAero is set to build and test the Symphony engines at its San Antonio, Texas, facility, which will be designed to produce up to 330 engines a year, covering more than 100,000 square feet of production space.
“We are excited to expand our role to include the assembly and testing of Symphony engines, further supporting the development of next-generation flight with Boom,” said Russell Ford, Chairman and CEO of StandardAero. “Our collaboration is a testament to StandardAero’s world-class engineering capabilities and dedication to delivering solutions that power the future of air travel.”
Boom Supersonic has also disclosed a partnership with aerospace industry leader ATI, Inc., focusing on the development of advanced high-temperature materials for key components of the Symphony engine. These components include the high pressure compressor’s integrated blade and disk stages, as well as the turbine assembly. Utilizing sophisticated nickel-based superalloys, this collaboration aims to enhance the Symphony engine’s performance and reliability during extended supersonic flights.
Meanwhile, the Overture airliner is progressing as planned, with expectations to secure certification from both the FAA and EASA by the decade’s end.