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CNN
5 days ago
- Business
- CNN
America's skies may soon open up to supersonic travel. But there's still a big problem
The skies over the United States could be wide open for much faster air travel in the near future. Not just because passenger planes capable of breaking the sound barrier are in development — for the first time ever, they could be allowed to do it over American soil. Even during the days of Concorde, the supersonic plane that retired in 2003, commercial flying at speeds above Mach 1 over mainland US was strictly forbidden, largely due to concerns over noise pollution from sonic booms. Now moves are afoot to lift that restriction with a bill recently introduced in the Senate, and a similar measure in the House of Representatives. That means if the long-awaited 'Son of Concorde' ever gets here, it will have more potential supersonic routes than its predecessor. Currently, there are several supersonic passenger jets in development that aim to reach speeds beyond Mach 1 without crashing loudly through the sound barrier. NASA's experimental X-59, expected to begin flight testing in 2025, aims to reduce noise to a 'sonic thump.' And then there's Colorado-based Boom Supersonic, which is developing the Overture, the first actual supersonic passenger plane since Concorde flew into the sunset. Opening up US skies could be a step toward removing some of the hurdles it faces in becoming a reality. 'It's a super exciting year for us,' Blake Scholl, founder and CEO of Boom told CNN. Much of that excitement comes from the company's XB-1 demonstrator aircraft breaking the sound barrier in January and again in February. It did so without creating a detectable sonic boom by flying at what it calls 'boomless cruise' — also known as 'Mach cutoff' — where sound refracts away from the ground at speeds close to the sound barrier in certain atmospheric conditions. Boom aims to build the first prototype Overture engine by the end of the year and, if all goes according to the company's very ambitious timeline, American Airlines, Japan Airlines (JAL) and United Airlines could all take delivery of their very first Overtures by the end of the decade. Scholl's sales pitch is very appealing. Who doesn't want to be able to work a full day on the West Coast, jump on a supersonic flight east that evening, and either be home or in a hotel in New York or D.C. before midnight? The Overture would make those trips possible with a cruise speed of Mach 1.7 that could slash the duration of a transcontinental flight by up to half. Overture's 80 passengers could make those speedy flights in relative comfort. Renderings show luxurious seats comparable to the contemporary business class offering on any subsonic plane. Whether airlines are keen is another matter. The range of the Overture is one challenge. At about 4,888 miles, it's enough for a transcontinental flight over the US or a transatlantic hop to Europe but not enough to traverse the Pacific without a stop. And the much-touted commitments from American, JAL and United are all non-binding and, at least in the eyes of the industry, viewed as more fluff than substance. Critically, none of the airlines list the deals among their firm capital commitments in stock exchange filings. 'Boom is working in opposition to the most durable single trend in all of flying since the jet age began,' Jon Ostrower, editor-in-chief of trade publication The Air Current, said on The Air Show podcast in February. 'Airlines, fundamentally, since (the dawn of the jet age) have wanted more efficient aircraft.' By Boom's own estimates, the Overture would burn two to three times more fuel per premium seat — first or business class — than a subsonic plane, such as the Airbus A350 or Boeing 787, on an intercontinental flight. Another estimate from the nonprofit International Council on Clean Transportation puts the Overture's fuel burn at five- to- seven-times that of a subsonic long-haul jet. Airlines would recoup those added fuel costs through higher airfares. Researchers at Worms University of Applied Sciences in Germany described those fares as a 'supersonic premium' in a paper published in the Journal of Air Transport Management last year. They estimated that airfares on the Overture would need to be roughly 38% higher than the current business class fares on a New York-London flight to turn a profit. Put another way, supersonic flyers would pay roughly $4,830 one-way from New York to London in June based on current average one-way airfares of around $3,500 on Google Flights. The researchers at Worms were confident that when flying westward travelers would pay a premium for supersonic flights because they 'fly back in time,' as one of the report's authors Jan Belke told CNN. That time gain could translate into real monetary benefits. Eastbound, however, the financial case was weaker due to hours lost across time zones. While Boom's Scholl acknowledged that Overture seats will likely be priced out of budget for most passengers, he said there's still a solid business case. 'If you hit a mainstream price point — and business class is a mainstream price point — I think of it as the [Tesla] Model S of supersonic flight, it's not yet for everybody but it is a pretty big market segment,' he said. The question is how many will pay that supersonic premium? Digital communications have vastly improved from the days of the Concorde. Video calls have reduced the need for in-person meetings, and with flyers now able to answer emails or even join a virtual meeting in mid-air, in-air downtime is rapidly shrinking on subsonic flight. Richard Aboulafia, a managing director at AeroDynamic Advisory and a long-time skeptic of Boom's business case for the Overture, estimated that Boom needs $12-15 billion to bring the Overture to market, but has only raised around $800 million to date. Boom had about $700 million, according to its last public funding disclosure in 2023. Asked how much Boom needs to develop Overture, Scholl put the number at 'under $2 billion.' He cited numerous cost savings the company has found eliminating 'inefficiencies' in the existing aerospace supply chain by, for the most part, integrating production under its own roof. This integration, Scholl added, also speeds up the development and production process. That gives him confidence in achieving its aggressive timeline of flying the Overture by 2028 and handing the first planes over to airlines a year later. Ostrower called the timeline unrealistic. Of the many challenges ahead of Boom, one is regulatory approval. The Federal Aviation Administration's certification process has slowed dramatically since the Boeing 737 MAX grounding in 2019 and 2020. Boom's timeline allows for just a year of flight tests; Airbus took about 18 months to certify the A350 from first flight in June 2013 to the first delivery in December 2014. Scholl seems unfazed by this, expressing confidence in Boom's ability to meet its targets and produce planes that, in his words, 'delete the friction of travel' by going a whole lot faster than today's jets. 'There's no guarantee of success here — statistically failure is the most likely outcome — but it's definitely possible,' Scholl said. 'The technology is there, the market is there, the passengers and airlines are there, the regulations for overland, I believe, will be there in relative short order. We just have to execute.'
Euronews
03-04-2025
- Business
- Euronews
What we know about China's plans for a new supersonic jet that can fly 50% further than Concorde
ADVERTISEMENT China has entered the race to usher in a new golden age of supersonic air travel with plans to build an airliner that will rival the Concorde, according to local media. As per reporting by the South China Morning Post, China's Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) has revealed blueprints for the C949 - a 1.6-Mach jet that could fly further and more quickly than the Concorde - in a recent academic paper. The paper said the project looked to achieve a 50 per cent range boost over the Concorde and is designed to make the plane fly as quietly as the noise level of a hairdryer. It will do this with a curved plane body that will weaken shockwaves to delay violent booms that could come from the aircraft, the SCMP report continued. Related New York to London in just over 3 hours: Is this net zero supersonic jet the future of air travel? Reducing the noise levels is a way for the plane to try and bypass regulatory barriers that ban supersonic flights, SCMP continued. Euronews Next is trying to independently verify these claims by reaching out to the academic journal that published the findings as well as COMAC but has not received any replies at the time of publication. Concorde flew just under 50,000 flights for carrier British Airline during its 26-year career. Dave Caulin/AP Other supersonic crafts in the works The Concorde, an Anglo-French supersonic airliner that first took to the skies on a test flight in 1969, made just under 50,000 flights for carrier British Airways during its 26-year career. The craft, with a maximum cruising speed of Mach 2.04 (around 2,180 km/h), boasted a flight time from London to New York of less than 3.5 hours instead of the regular 8 hours for a subsonic flight. There hasn't been a non-military supersonic aircraft in service since Concorde's retirement in 2003 but there are other supersonic projects now in the works, like the X-59, a joint venture between the US Space Agency, NASA, and US-based manufacturer Lockheed Martin. Related The 'quiet' jet from NASA that could usher in a new era of supersonic air travel Revealed last year, the aircraft flies at 55,000 feet (over 16,700 m) and produces sound equivalent to a car door closing, according to the jet's designers. The X-59 is designed to travel at speeds of Mach 1.4 (around 1,730 km/h), slower than Concorde and the proposed Chinese C949. In March, NASA announced that the X-59 successfully passed an engine speed hold, or cruise control test, a last step before a first flight that should happen later this year. A mock-up of Boom's Overture aircraft in commercial service at Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport, France. Boom Supersonic "We needed to verify that speed hold worked not just within the engine itself but as part of the entire aircraft system," Paul Dees, NASA's X-59 deputy propulsion lead at the agency's Armstrong Flight Research Center, said in a statement. "This test confirmed that all components – software, mechanical linkages, and control laws – work together as intended". Related Bombardier unveils 'fastest passenger jet since the Concorde' following supersonic test Private company Boom Supersonic wants to launch its supersonic jet, the Overture, before the end of the decade. ADVERTISEMENT In test craft XB-1's first test flight in January , the aircraft flew up to 1,207 km/h to an altitude of over 35,000 feet (10,600 m) and was able to land without a sonic boom, the company said. There has already been commercial interest in the Overture, with Boom having already signed deals with United Airlines , American Airlines, and Japan Airlines to deliver the aircraft once it meets the required safety standards. The European Commission funded several projects to study noise reduction and the environmental impacts of supersonic flights, like the 2022 RUMBLE project, the 2020 SENECA project, and the ongoing MORE AND LESS project.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
NASA's X-59 'quiet' supersonic jet aces key 'cruise control' test ahead of 1st flight
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. NASA's new X-59 supersonic jet is a step closer to flight after passing an important ground test in March. Known as "engine speed hold," the test ensured that the X-59 can maintain a specific speed when it flies for the first time later this year. "Engine speed hold is essentially the aircraft's version of cruise control," Paul Dees, NASA's X-59 deputy propulsion lead at Armstrong Flight Research Center in California, said in a statement. "The pilot engages speed hold at their current speed, then can adjust it incrementally up or down as needed." The X-59 team tested the "cruise control" function earlier as an isolated system. But an aircraft's many systems must work in harmony during flight. For this recent test, the team used the speed hold after integrating it more widely into the X-59's avionics system. Related: NASA's X-59 quiet supersonic jet clears 'major hurdle' ahead of 1st flight (photos) "We needed to verify that speed hold worked not just within the engine itself but as part of the entire aircraft system," Dees said. "This test confirmed that all components — software, mechanical linkages, and control laws — work together as intended." NASA and Lockheed Martin have been working on the X-59 for a while. It was developed under NASA's Quesst (Quiet SuperSonic Technology) program. The aircraft is designed to hit supersonic speeds without creating an audible sonic boom, a typical side effect of supersonic flight. Because sonic booms are disruptive, supersonic flight is prohibited over populated areas in the U.S. The quiet X-59 could therefore advance the goal of flying at supersonic speeds across the country. In February, NASA and Lockheed Martin conducted electromagnetic interference tests on the X-59. The test made sure that the aircraft's onboard sensors, radio and navigation equipment all worked without interfering with each other. RELATED STORIES: — NASA unveils its revolutionary X-59 Quesst 'quiet' supersonic jet (photos, video) — NASA will fly F-15s through supersonic shock waves behind its experimental X-59 jet — NASA's new supersonic X-59 jet hits the afterburner (photos) In January, the X-59 team tested the aircraft's afterburner, which injects more fuel into the jet engine's hot exhaust. This test verified engine performance, to ensure that the X-59 can meet the requirements for supersonic speed. This latest test confirmed that the X-59 can cruise at a precise speed, which frees up the pilot to do other work during the flight. NASA said that cruising speed is also important for pilot safety. "The pilot is going to be very busy during first flight, ensuring the aircraft is stable and controllable," Dees said. "Having speed hold offload some of that workload makes first flight that much safer."
South China Morning Post
29-03-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Comac C949: China unveils quiet supersonic jet with 50% longer range than Concorde
The first details of C949, a supersonic airliner project, have been quietly unveiled by Chinese state-owned aerospace giant Comac, signalling its ambitions to dominate the skies with the radical new jet that could redefine global air travel. Advertisement In a recent academic paper, Comac engineers revealed the blueprint of a 1.6-Mach airliner designed to fly further and much more quietly than the retired Concorde – a feat that could position China at the forefront of a 21st century supersonic renaissance. A team led by Wu Dawei, Comac's award-winning aerodynamicist , said in a March 14 paper published in the journal Acta Aeronautica Sinica that the project aimed to achieve what engineers have chased for decades: a 50 per cent range boost over the Concorde (11,000km or 6,800 miles vs 7,200km or 4,500 miles) while slashing sonic booms to 83.9 perceived level in decibels (PLdB), comparable to the noise level of a hairdryer. This reduction in noise, down to one-twentieth of the Concorde's thunderclap-like boom by intensity, aims to bypass regulatory barriers that have long banned overland supersonic flights. The C949 will compete with similar projects from other countries, such as Nasa and Lockheed Martin's X-59, with the winner rewriting the rules of global aviation, according to the researchers. Advertisement
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
LIVE: Supersonic flight could open door to faster air travel across country
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Imagine flying from Austin to New York in a couple of hours, or even to Dallas in about thirty minutes. A new project launching later this year by NASA could make it possible. The Quesst Mission is the space agency's attempt to develop a new supersonic jet that produces quiet sonic booms, traveling faster than the speed of sound. 'Right now, it takes about five and a half hours to get from New York to Los Angeles. If you were to find a plane like this, that's going Mach 1.4 just a little over under 1000 miles an hour, then you could get there in about three and a half hours,' said NASA Aerospace Engineer Larry Cliatt. Since 1972, supersonic flight over land has been banned in the United States. While commercial airlines like the Concorde proved that supersonic commercial air travel is possible, it can currently only occur within some corridors over the ocean. NASA's mission has developed the X-59. The supersonic plane has a unique design that eliminates excess curves and in the process reduces the volume of sonic booms. 'Future supersonic airplanes are probably going to be long and skinny,' said pilot Nils Larson. 'That's part of that special sauce.' A sonic boom is created when a supersonic jet breaks the sound barrier. Two booms actually occur when the plane breaks the speed of sound. The first happens when air passes over the front of the plane, and the second is when the air collides after it moves over the plane. 'Thunder is a sonic boom. There's just a single boom. But for an airplane, you get a boom, boom,' Larson said. On Tuesday, March 11, Larson and other members of the team spoke at South by Southwest. There, they explained how the plane muffles these sonic booms. 'It kind of gets rid of that startle, that very first boom, and maybe makes it more like a whomp instead versus a really sharp firecracker kind of bang that you'd get from that boom, boom,' Larson said. According to Cliatt, the bigger the change in shape of the plane, the bigger the shockwave created. 'Every component of this airplane is going to emit a shockwave. And at the back of the airplane you have engines, you have tails, you have lifting surfaces, and all of that creates a very complicated problem to solve,' Cliatt said. The X-59 eliminates these changes. At the front is a long 30-foot hollow nose, which tapers into wings and the tail. The engine is on the top of the plane, while the bottom is mostly smooth. Phase one of the project is completed. This phase included construction and testing of the design. Phase two, set to begin this year, is when the plane will take flight. These flights will occur over the supersonic test range at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center and Edwards Air Force Base in California. Following these flights, phase three will involve going out into communities to see if people could hear the plane, and if so, what exactly they heard. 'Hopefully, they don't hear them at all,' Cliatt said. That phase is scheduled to run 2026 to 2028. Data is scheduled to be posted in 2030. The team hopes the research could lead to commercial bans being lifted and more supersonic planes in the air. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
