Boom Supersonic has announced new collaborations to develop Symphony, a new propulsion system designed and optimised specifically for its supersonic airliner Overture.
According to Boom, Overture will be the world’s fastest airliner, flying at twice the speed of today’s airliners and will be designed to run on 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
Symphony will be a medium-bypass turbofan engine with the same basic engine architecture that currently powers all modern commercial aircraft. Unlike subsonic turbofans, the new propulsion system will include a Boom-designed axisymmetric supersonic intake, a variable-geometry low-noise exhaust nozzle, and a passively cooled high-pressure turbine.
Symphony will operate at net zero carbon and meet Chapter 14 noise levels, its also expected to deliver a 25% increase in time on wing and significantly lower engine maintenance costs, reducing overall airplane operating costs for airline customers by 10%.
Blake Scholl, Founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic, said: “Developing a supersonic engine specifically for Overture offers by far the best value proposition for our customers. Through the Symphony program, we can provide our customers with an economically and environmentally sustainable supersonic airplane, a combination unattainable with the current constraints of derivative engines and industry norms.”
Mike Leskinen, President of United Airlines Ventures, commented: “United and Boom share a passion for making the world dramatically more accessible through sustainable supersonic travel. The team at Boom understands what we need to create a compelling experience for our passengers, and we are looking forward to a United supersonic fleet powered by Symphony.”
Boom has selected three partners to develop Symphony including Florida Turbine Technologies, a business unit of Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Inc., as its engine design team, GE Additive for additive technology design consulting, and StandardAero for maintenance.
Stacey Rock, President of Florida Turbine Technologies, said: “The team at FTT has a decades-long history of developing innovative, high-performance propulsion solutions. We are proud to team with Boom and its Symphony partners and look forward to developing the first bespoke engine for sustainable, economical supersonic flight.”
Boom expects the Symphony project to benefit from GE Additive’s track record of designing additively manufactured engine components, enabling more streamlined development, reduced weight, and improved fuel efficiency.
Chris Schuppe, General Manager Engineering and Technology at GE Additive, commented: “We are excited to support Overture and Symphony. GE Additive will bring industry-leading capabilities to Symphony, providing additive manufacturing design consulting and technology, while looking for additional areas to potentially collaborate.”
The collaboration between Boom and StandardAero will aim to deliver reliable and economical operations, and provision of maintenance services for the life of the aircraft. Boom also expects to benefit from StandardAero’s experience as an assembler of supersonic engines.
Russell Ford, Chairman and CEO of StandardAero, added: “We are excited to team with Boom as its strategic engine MRO partner and for the opportunity to contribute to the company’s bright future, ensuring its aircraft will receive the industry’s finest engine MRO services. Our current qualifications, capabilities and experience assembling and servicing supersonic military jet engines makes us the intelligent solution for future commercial, supersonic engine MRO applications.”
With the Symphony design already underway, Overture expects to achieve type certification in 2029. Production is set to commence in 2024 at Overture’s Superfactory in Greensboro, North Carolina, with rollout in 2026 and first flight in 2027.
