Boom launches the XB-1 test aircraft, a supersonic commercial airliner, which is expected to fly for the first time in 2029

According to foreign media Engadget, after six years of development, Boom Supersonic launched the XB-1 test machine yesterday. Boom is trying to manufacture the first supersonic civilian airliner in more than half a century.

Naijatechnews understands that this aircraft is the company’s first supersonic aircraft and aims to prove that the technology is ahead of full-size passenger aircraft.

▲ Picture source Engadget, the same below

The frame of XB-1 is made of carbon fiber composite material (used to enhance heat resistance), is 71 feet (approximately 21.64 meters) long, and has a delta wing swing device. The company said that this tripod has been optimized for efficiency maximize.

It is powered by three General Electric J85-15 engines, which can provide more than 12,000 pounds of thrust. The J85 is a war horse engine that has powered aircraft since the 1950s, including the supersonic T-38 Talon training aircraft. Boom stated that the J85 engine has been adjusted to improve its efficiency.

Boom hopes to rely on new manufacturing methods to reduce costs and greatly shorten production time, because it uses 3D printing technology in the manufacture of the supersonic prototype and the XB-1 itself.

The XB-1 will be tested in the Mojave Desert next year. The company expects that its first manufacturing plant will be completed in 2022, and the first Overture airliner will be manufactured in 2025, and its first flight is expected in 2029.