Aircraft developer Boom Supersonic said it reached milestones in projects including its Overture airliner, Symphony engine, and XB-1 supersonic demonstrator aircraft. Boom also announced the closing of a round of investment that increased its total funding to more than $700 million.
“Our goal is to bring the world closer together through faster flights,” said Blake Scholl, founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic. “We’re excited to collaborate with partners and investors around the globe as we work to realize our shared vision.”
Boom’s investors include the Neom Investment Fund, an investment arm of Neom, a sustainable urban development planned in northwest Saudi Arabia. As part of their agreement, Boom and the Neom Investment Fund will explore ways to make the Gulf region more accessible through supersonic flight.
Boom also said it remains on track to conduct the first flight of the XB-1 later this year at the Mojave Air & Space Port. The aircraft received an airworthiness certificate from the FAA and recently completed a number of tests, including taxi testing up to 90 knots. Boom said the aircraft will soon make high-speed taxi runs in preparation for its first flight.
The company said its Symphony propulsion system, designed for sustainable and economical supersonic flight, has undergone a conceptual design review that “paves the way toward Symphony’s first hardware rig tests planned for 2024.” Construction of the factory designed to build the Overture is also proceeding ahead of schedule, Boom said, with completion expected during the second quarter of 2024.
