Boom Technology, Inc. (
trade name
A trade name, trading name, or business name, is a pseudonym used by companies that do not operate under their registered company name. The term for this type of alternative name is a "fictitious" business name. Registering the fictitious name w ...
Boom Supersonic) is an American company designing a , 65-88-passenger
supersonic airliner. Named the
Boom Overture
The Boom Overture is a proposed , 65–88 passenger supersonic airliner with of range, which is planned to be introduced in 2029 by Boom Technology. The company claims that with 500 viable routes, there could be a market for 1,000 supersonic ai ...
, the airliner is planned to have a range of and to be introduced in 2025.
After being
incubated by
Y Combinator
Y Combinator (YC) is an American technology startup accelerator launched in March 2005. It has been used to launch more than 3,000 companies, including Airbnb, Coinbase, Cruise, DoorDash, Dropbox, Instacart, Quora, PagerDuty, Reddit, Str ...
in 2016, Boom Technology raised $51 million of
venture capital
Venture capital (often abbreviated as VC) is a form of private equity financing that is provided by venture capital firms or funds to startups, early-stage, and emerging companies that have been deemed to have high growth potential or which ha ...
in 2017, and $100 million by January 2019. The
Boom XB-1 Baby Boom
The Boom XB-1 "Baby Boom" is a one-third-scale trijet supersonic demonstrator designed by Boom Technology ( dba "Boom Supersonic") as part of development of the Boom Overture supersonic transport airliner. Powered by three General Electric J8 ...
one-third-scale demonstrator is expected to begin flight testing in 2022.
History
The company was founded in
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
in 2014.
It participated in a
Y Combinator
Y Combinator (YC) is an American technology startup accelerator launched in March 2005. It has been used to launch more than 3,000 companies, including Airbnb, Coinbase, Cruise, DoorDash, Dropbox, Instacart, Quora, PagerDuty, Reddit, Str ...
startup
incubation program in early 2016, and has been funded by Y Combinator,
Sam Altman
Samuel H. Altman ( ; born April 22, 1985) is an American entrepreneur, investor, programmer, and blogger. He is the CEO of OpenAI and the former president of Y Combinator.
Early life and education
Altman grew up in St. Louis, Missouri; his mothe ...
, Seraph Group, Eight Partners, and others.
In March 2017, $33 million were invested by several
venture fund
Venture capital (often abbreviated as VC) is a form of private equity financing that is provided by venture capital firms or funds to startups, early-stage, and emerging companies that have been deemed to have high growth potential or which hav ...
s: Continuity Fund,
RRE Ventures
RRE Ventures is an American Venture capital, Venture Capital firm based in New York City. The firm primarily invests in Seed money, seed, Series A round, series A and series B rounds and focuses on companies operating in the software, internet, c ...
, Palm Drive Ventures, 8VC and Caffeinated Capital.
Boom secured $41 million of total financing by April 2017.
In December 2017,
Japan Airlines
, also known as JAL (''Jaru'') or , is an international airline and Japan's flag carrier and largest airline as of 2021 and 2022, headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport and Haneda Airport, as w ...
invested $10 million, raising the company capital to $51 million: enough to build the XB-1 “Baby Boom” demonstrator and complete its testing, and to start early design work on the 55-seat airliner.
[ In January 2019, Boom raised a further $100 million, bringing the total to $151 million, then planning the demonstrator first flight for later in 2019.
In January 2022, the company announced plans to build a 400,000-square-foot manufacturing facility on a 65-acre site at ]Piedmont Triad International Airport
Piedmont Triad International Airport (commonly referred to locally as "PTI") is an airport located in unincorporated Guilford County, North Carolina, west of Greensboro, serving the Piedmont Triad region of Greensboro, High Point and Winsto ...
in Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte and Raleigh, the 69th-most populous city in the Un ...
.
Projects
XB-1 Baby Boom
The XB-1 Baby Boom is a one-third-scale supersonic demonstrator, designed to maintain Mach 2.2, with over of range, and powered by three dry General Electric J85
The General Electric J85 is a small single-shaft turbojet engine. Military versions produce up to of thrust dry; afterburning variants can reach up to . The engine, depending upon additional equipment and specific model, weighs from . It is one ...
-15s.
It is expected to be flight tested in 2022.
Overture airliner
The Overture is a proposed , 65- to 88-passenger supersonic transport
A supersonic transport (SST) or a supersonic airliner is a civilian supersonic aircraft designed to transport passengers at speeds greater than the speed of sound. To date, the only SSTs to see regular service have been Concorde and the Tupol ...
with envisaged of range.
With 500 viable routes, Boom suggests there could be a market for 1,000 supersonic airliners with business class
Business class is a travel class available on many commercial airlines and rail lines, known by brand names which vary, by airline or rail company. In the airline industry, it was originally intended as an intermediate level of service between ...
fares.[ It had gathered 76 commitments by December 2017.] It decided to use the delta wing
A delta wing is a wing shaped in the form of a triangle. It is named for its similarity in shape to the Greek uppercase letter delta (Δ).
Although long studied, it did not find significant applications until the Jet Age, when it proved suitabl ...
configuration of Concorde
The Aérospatiale/BAC Concorde () is a retired Franco-British supersonic airliner jointly developed and manufactured by Sud Aviation (later Aérospatiale) and the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC).
Studies started in 1954, and France an ...
and make use of composite materials
A composite material (also called a composition material or shortened to composite, which is the common name) is a material which is produced from two or more constituent materials. These constituent materials have notably dissimilar chemical or ...
.[ It is to be powered by ]three
3 is a number, numeral, and glyph.
3, three, or III may also refer to:
* AD 3, the third year of the AD era
* 3 BC, the third year before the AD era
* March, the third month
Books
* '' Three of Them'' (Russian: ', literally, "three"), a 1901 ...
dry turbofan
The turbofan or fanjet is a type of airbreathing jet engine that is widely used in aircraft engine, aircraft propulsion. The word "turbofan" is a portmanteau of "turbine" and "fan": the ''turbo'' portion refers to a gas turbine engine which ac ...
engines.[ A derivative or a clean-sheet design was to be selected in 2019.]
In September 2020, the company announced that it had been contracted to develop the Overture for possible use as Air Force One
Air Force One is the official air traffic control designated call sign for a United States Air Force aircraft carrying the president of the United States. In common parlance, the term is used to denote U.S. Air Force aircraft modified and used ...
.
Boom CEO Blake Scholl "estimates that flights on Overture will be available in 2030."
In January 2021, Boom announced plans to begin Overture test flights in 2026. In June 2021, United Airlines
United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois. announced that it had signed a deal to purchase 15 Boom Overture aircraft, with an option to buy 35 more. They are scheduled to begin operating in 2029.
On August 16, 2022, Boom announced that American Airlines
American Airlines is a major airlines of the United States, major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the world when measured ...
had agreed to purchase 20 Boom Overture aircraft.
Symphony engine
In December 2022, Boom announced the Symphony, a new propulsion system to be designed for the Overture. Boom will work with three companies to develop Symphony: Florida Turbine Technologies for engine design, GE Additive
GE Aviation, a subsidiary of General Electric, is headquartered in Evendale, Ohio, outside Cincinnati. GE Aviation is among the top aircraft engine suppliers, and offers engines for the majority of commercial aircraft. GE Aviation is part of the ...
for additive technology design consulting, and StandardAero
StandardAero is a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) provider based in Scottsdale, Arizona, US. The company is not related to Standard Aircraft Corporation, which was formed in 1916 and ceased operations in 1931 as New Standard Aircraft Com ...
for maintenance.
See also
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Aircraft manufacturers of the United States
American companies established in 2014
Manufacturing companies based in Denver
2016 establishments in Colorado
Aerospace companies of the United States
Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 2014