Breaking the sound barrier soundlessly seems like something of an oxymoron. Boom Supersonic today announced ‘Boomless Cruise’ for its developmental supersonic airliner Overture.
The aircraft design will enable supersonic travel over land without an audible sonic boom as the aircraft breaks the sound barrier.
This vision is now closer to reality than ever, thanks to Boom Supersonic’s groundbreaking advancements in supersonic flight technology.
Introducing Boomless Cruise
This innovation promises to revolutionize air travel by enabling supersonic flight over land. It will do so without the audible sonic boom that has long been a barrier to widespread adoption.
The iconic Concorde, while considered an aeronautical marvel in its time, had a heavy noise footprint. This was largely due to the sonic boom created as it exceeded the speed of sound.
Boom’s demonstrator aircraft, XB-1, achieved a historic milestone on January 28, 2025. It successfully breaking the sound barrier three times during its first supersonic flight.
Crucially, these supersonic runs were completed without generating a sonic boom that reached the ground. The test flights proved that quiet supersonic travel is indeed possible.
The Physics of Supersonic Flight Without the Boom
So, how does Boomless Cruise work? It’s based on a well-established physics principle known as Mach cutoff. Essentially, when an aircraft breaks the sound barrier at a sufficiently high altitude, the sonic boom refracts within the atmosphere and never reaches the ground.
The precise speed required to achieve this effect varies depending on atmospheric conditions, but the core concept is simple yet powerful.
“XB-1 broke the sound barrier three times during its first supersonic flight—without an audible boom,” said Blake Scholl, Founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic.
“This confirms what we’ve long believed: supersonic travel can be affordable, sustainable, and friendly to those onboard and on the ground. With this success, we’re bringing Boomless Cruise to Overture, unlocking faster travel on even more routes.”
XB-1 Testing Procedures
To validate these claims, specialized microphone arrays were strategically placed beneath XB-1’s flight path. These arrays confirmed that no sonic booms reached the ground as the demonstrator aircraft soared to a top speed of Mach 1.12.
The data gathered during XB-1’s multiple supersonic flights was invaluable, allowing Boom to refine its sonic boom models and improve the algorithms that predict operating within Mach cutoff.
This successful demonstration paves the way for Overture, Boom’s supersonic airliner, to fly at speeds of up to Mach 1.3 over land without producing an audible boom.
This translates to a significant reduction in travel times. For example, a coast-to-coast flight in the U.S. could be shortened by up to 90 minutes. International routes with overland segments will also benefit from these increased speeds.
Previously, Boom planned for Overture to operate at Mach 0.94 over land—already about 20% faster than today’s subsonic jets. It would only break the sound barrier over water, reaching speeds of Mach 1.7.
However, the data collected from XB-1’s supersonic flight now suggests that Overture could potentially travel up to 50% faster than current jets over land without the disturbance of a sonic boom.
Symphony Engine Technology
A key enabler of Boomless Cruise is Symphony, Overture’s purpose-built propulsion system. Unlike conventional commercial engines, Symphony’s enhanced transonic thrust allows Overture to break the sound barrier at well above 30,000 feet. This is the ideal altitude for Mach cutoff to take effect.
Furthermore, Overture’s advanced autopilot system will automatically select the highest quiet speed based on real-time atmospheric conditions.
Boom is making significant progress in the development of Symphony. The company anticipates producing thrust during fully operational engine core tests by the end of 2025.
These tests will analyze the performance of the engine’s core components, including the compressor, combustor, and turbine, providing crucial data for further refinement and expedited production of a fully certified engine.
Summary
Overture has already garnered significant interest from airlines, with 130 orders and pre-orders from prominent carriers like American Airlines, United Airlines, and Japan Airlines, representing the first five years of production.
In 2024, Boom completed construction of the Overture Superfactory in Greensboro, North Carolina, a facility designed to produce 66 Overture aircraft per year.
Boom is committed to speed, safety, and sustainability. Overture and its bespoke propulsion system, Symphony, are designed to operate on up to 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), minimizing their environmental impact.
With Boomless Cruise and other technological advancements, Boom Supersonic looks poised to usher in a new era of supersonic travel.
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