Latest news with #XB-1
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bill to repeal ban of civil supersonic flight over land could open door for Boom Supersonic in Greensboro
WASHINGTON D.C. (WGHP) — Federal legislation filed by a North Carolina senator could open a critical door for a Greensboro factory aiming to achieve commercial supersonic flight. On Monday, Sen. Ted Budd (R-North Carolina) filed the Supersonic Aviation Modernization Act, a bill that would repeal a ban on overland civil supersonic flight. The bill was co-sponsored by Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Montana). 'The race for supersonic dominance between the U.S. and China is already underway and the stakes couldn't be higher,' Budd said. 'To maintain our global leadership in aerospace innovation, we must modernize air travel by lifting the outdated ban on civil supersonic flight. The Supersonic Aviation Modernization Act paves the way to lift decades-old restrictions, allowing for faster air travel. This is a critical step to ensure America leads the next era of aviation.' PTI congratulates Boom Supersonic on successful supersonic flight Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) introduced a version of the bill in the House of Representatives, which was co-sponsored by Rep. Sharice Davids (D-Kansas). The National Business Aviation Association supports both of these bills. Boom Supersonic, which intends to build engines for its commercial supersonic jets in Greensboro, has also voiced its support for this legislation, stating that it 'supports revising this regulation to allow supersonic flight that does not create audible sonic booms and to establish a certification pathway for future low-boom aircraft.' They have also expressed their commitment to building a supersonic aircraft in the United States, as they did with their demonstrator, the XB-1, which went supersonic without a 'boom' earlier this year. 'Supersonic flight without an audible sonic boom should obviously be allowed,' Blake Scholl, Founder of Boom Supersonic, said. 'The ban on supersonic has held back progress for more than half a century. I urge Congress to pass the Supersonic Aviation Modernization Act supersonically so we can all enjoy faster flights and maintain American leadership in aviation.' Boom is investing about $500 million to build Overture, a commercial supersonic jet, in Greensboro and, in January 2023, on a 62-acre site where its so-called 'Superfactory' is . The company, which plans to employ more than 1,700, also has an . Boom plans to have its first passengers in the air by 2029 and will fly more than 600 'profitable routes' to destinations worldwide with a range of 4,250 nautical miles. Boom has taken on three partners to design and build which will power the Overture, and now has partnerships with companies to provide Another partner, Dimensional Energy, is to provide which is as being made from 'renewable biomass and waste resources,' which could be corn, algae or wood products. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
This Supersonic Jet's Sharkskin-Like Coating Helps Reduce Its Emissions
Boom's recent supersonic tests included an experimental sharkskin-like material that makes the aircraft smoother and therefore more efficient. Developed by Micro Tau in Australia, the riblet-skinned material reduces drag, fuel consumption, and carbon emissions. Last fall, Boom applied patches of the material during testing of its experimental XB-1 to its underbelly. The material is a film with microscopic grooves or riblets on the surface. It is designed to mimic a shark's skin by reducing friction and smoothing out turbulent airflow. A shark's skin is covered in microscopic grooves called dermal denticals that allow it to swim more efficiently, using less energy. More from Robb Report Move Over, Palm Beach. Why Florida's Billionaire Set Is Flocking to Manalapan Banyan Tree's First Residential Project in Europe Will Be the Padilla Madrid Residences Here's Where You Can Get Jameson's Oldest Age-Statement Whiskey Yet The first XB-1 flights were initially subsonic flights to test the material's adhesive qualities, and its later supersonic tests also left the Micro Tau material unscathed. Boom tested the material for the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), the Department of Defense's organization for accelerating the adoption of commercial and dual-use technology, and the Air Force Operational Energy Office, dedicated to increasing operational efficiency of military aircraft. Typically, an aircraft design deals with drag by increasing engine thrust, which necessitates more fuel. That in turn leads to a heavier aircraft which, by definition, requires larger engines. Reducing drag by even a small percentage reduces fuel consumption (and therefore emissions) while enhancing operational efficiency. The sharkskin-like material could be used by the U.S. Air Force on legacy aircraft that include the C-17 Globemaster III, C-130 Hercules cargo transport and the KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling airplane. The three large aircraft, which carry large amounts of cargo or fuel, require unusual amounts of fuel. Delta Airlines is also testing the Micro Tau skin on its Boeing 767 fleet. The shark skin can be applied to an aircraft's fuselage, wings, and tail, and could improve efficiency up to 4 percent, according to Micro Tau estimates. 'From a big-picture perspective, our Riblet Package product can potentially save the aviation industry up to $10 billion in fuel annually,' said MicroTau Founder and CEO Henry Bilinsky in a statement. 'Due to the fuel cost savings, our customers in commercial aviation can expect a profit uplift of around 20 percent.' Last year, Lufthansa equipped some of its cargo fleet with a similar material called AeroSHARK from materials specialist BAF. The material is applied in small sections across the underbelly, and each section can be removed for maintenance and repairs. Japan Airlines and Swissair have also used AeroSHARK on selective fleet aircraft. Best of Robb Report The 2024 Chevy C8 Corvette: Everything We Know About the Powerful Mid-Engine Beast The World's Best Superyacht Shipyards The ABCs of Chartering a Yacht Click here to read the full article.
The Independent
01-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Scientists create ‘shark skin' coating for planes that could save airlines billions
Australian scientists have developed a shark skin-inspired film coating for aeroplanes, which they claim can reduce drag and save billions in fuel costs for the airline industry. Delta Air Lines has teamed up with the Australian aerospace company MicroTau to study the use of a special film that can be applied to planes to increase fuel efficiency. The technology, being developed in tandem with the Australian National Fabrication Facility (ANFF), mimics the shark skin, which has thousands of tiny overlapping scales that allow them to smoothly glide through water. Similarly, the artificial film coating also helps aeroplanes reduce turbulence, increase flying speed, and cut fuel costs, researchers say. As an aeroplane cuts through the air, the air forms tiny whirlpools called hairpin vortices that scrub the plane's surface and create resistance. The new film coating has tiny riblets narrower than these vortices and keeps the whirlpools from forming near the plane's surface. Creating such tiny riblet sections that make the film friction-resistant has been a challenge. MicroTau overcame the hurdle by using special laser manufacturing technology to rapidly produce the shark skin-like pattern in a light material and turn them into self-adhesive patches. The film coating is a scalable solution that can be retrofitted onto existing transport to minimise the carbon footprint of transport industries, the company says. With the technology, commercial aviation and shipping companies can save over $34bn in fuel costs and reduce nearly hundreds of millions of tons of carbon dioxide emissions, the firm claims. For instance, if the film were to be applied to an aircraft like the Airbus A380, it could save over $5,000 per flight from Sydney to LA in fuel and more than 18 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions, MicroTau said. This figure could add up to millions over the life of an aircraft, the company said. MicroTau has already been testing the coating with a range of aircraft, including Lockheed Martin 's hulking C-130J transport planes and Boom Supersonic's sleek XB-1 prototype. 'The patches survived these conditions comfortably with no observable degradation,' a Boom Supersonic spokesperson told New Scientist. "It mimics shark skin, and it leverages these micro grooves to reduce a type of surface drag. That surface drag could lead to a fuel benefit of up to 4 per cent," Sangita Sharma, director of Delta's Sustainable Skies Lab, told CBC News. This could add up to saving the airline burning up 4 billion gallons of fuel annually, according to Ms Sharma. With further refinement of the technology, the Australian firm hopes it can help airlines improve efficiency as much as 10 per cent.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
US is 'ahead' of China in supersonic jet aircraft, says Boom Supersonic CEO
America currently remains ahead of China when it comes to airplanes that can fly faster than the speed of sound, according to Boom Supersonic CEO Blake Scholl. "I think aviation has always been seen as a symbol of technological superiority," Scholl said Tuesday during a "Mornings with Maria" appearance. "Just like the chip, the airplane was invented in America, and China wants to surpass America as a leader in technology, so of course, they're pursuing supersonic. It is the next step in aviation." The South China Morning Post reported over the weekend that the Chinese state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) is working on a supersonic jet called the C949. Boom Supersonic Says Xb-1 Aircraft Flew Over Mach 1 With No Audible Sonic Boom On The Ground Below The aircraft, detailed in blueprints in a recent academic paper, is meant to reach Mach 1.6 and have a barely audible sonic boom when the project comes to fruition, according to the outlet. The jet design is reportedly supposed to have a range 50% longer than the Concorde. Comac has previously said it wants to bring the supersonic C949 to market by 2049, the South China Morning Post reported. Read On The Fox Business App Scholl told host Maria Bartiromo that the "good news" is that right now, the U.S. is "ahead" of China in supersonic jets. "We've got the only operational, non-military supersonic jet in the world," he said. "That's the XB-1 prototype. We've demonstrated we can do it without a sonic boom." Scholl's company, Boom Supersonic, is the Denver-based firm behind the XB-1. Boom Supersonic's XB-1 demonstrator aircraft broke the sound barrier for its first time ever in late January. During that highly-anticipated test flight, the jet went above Mach 1 several times "without generating a sonic boom that reached the ground," the company said. Scholl went on to tell Bartiromo that the "problem is right now" that the U.S. is "in our own way with outloaded regulations." According to the Federal Aviation Administration website, U.S. regulations bar civilian flights from exceeding Mach 1 while traveling over land in America. "From the 1970s, we have a ban on fast flights in the U.S.," he explained. "It's really ridiculous. It should have been a ban on sonic booms, or at least bad sonic booms, but instead, that regulation's been on the books for more than 50 years, and it's prevented U.S. companies from building the next generation of faster jets." Stricter supersonic regulations in the U.S. have implications for the country competing with China, according to the Boom Supersonic CEO. "I think it's really, one, it's soft power, a symbol of technological superiority. It's something that the rest of the world is going to watch," he said. "But it's important to national security and economic security." "Right now, Boeing is the number one U.S. exporter, but they haven't invented a new plane in more than 20 years. At the same time, a quarter of all Air Force airplanes are actually modified commercial airplanes. This is where we get out tankers, our transports, even many of our spy planes are modified commercial planes. So if we don't have next generation commercial transports, that means we don't have next generation military transports. I find that really scary. We can't let that happen." Scholl wants the U.S. to change its regulations related to commercial supersonic flights. "It's a really simple, easy change. Right now, we literally have a regulation that says 'thou shalt not exceed Mach 1' and what it should say is 'thou shalt not make bad noises,'" he said during the "Mornings with Maria" appearance. "If a supersonic flight is possible with no sonic boom on the ground, then obviously it should be allowed." Boom Supersonic has said it aims to "bring supersonic to everyone." Boom Supersonic Xb-1 Breaks Sound Barrier During Test Flight Its XB-1 demonstrator aircraft "provides the foundation" for Overture, a larger jet it is creating for commercial supersonic flight, according to the company. Overture is supposed to have the capacity for 64 to 80 passengers. Boom Supersonic has also said that the jet is supposed to reach speeds twice as fast as current planes over water and 50% quicker over article source: US is 'ahead' of China in supersonic jet aircraft, says Boom Supersonic CEO
Yahoo
30-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
China joins supersonic race with plans for Concorde-beating jet
China has revealed plans for its own supersonic successor to Concorde, launching an aerospace race with the United States. Engineers from the country's state-owned aircraft manufacturer, Comac, revealed blueprints for the new plane in an academic paper published earlier this month. The aircraft will be able to fly 1.6 times faster than the speed of sound and travel distances of up to 11,000km, or 6,800 miles, at a time. The range would allow the plane to fly from Britain to Malaysia non-stop, and is well above Concorde's maximum range of around 4,500 miles. China's C949 jet is also set to be much quieter than Concorde, with sonic booms of 89.3 decibels compared to the Anglo-French jet's thunderous 105. The shape of C949's 'reverse-camber' fuselage is set to dampen the shock waves caused by the surrounding air travelling faster than the speed of sound, which creates loud booms that can be heard nearby. Concorde's own sonic booms saw it blocked from taking overland flights following noise complaints. The Chinese craft is designed to hold 168 passengers, more than the 128 maximum capacity of the Concorde. C949 will be slower than its predecessor, however. Concorde reached top speeds of Mach-2.2, equivalent to 2,154 km per hour or 1,338 miles per hour, meaning it could fly from London to New York in less than three hours. C949's top speed will be Mach 1.6. The Chinese plans are part of a wave of interest in reviving commercial supersonic air travel, which ended with the retirement of the Concorde in 2003 following a catastrophic crash at Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport three years earlier that killed 113 people. Several start-ups are vying for the title of 'heir to the Concorde', with most based in the US. Boom Supersonic, which is based in Denver, Colorado, successfully launched a test flight of its prototype XB-1 supersonic passenger jet in January. The plane successfully broke the sound barrier, reaching speeds of 850 miles per hour during three separate flights over the Mojave Desert. Spike Aerospace, which is based in Boston, Massachusetts, is separately working on plans for its own 1.6-Mach passenger plane that it also expects will be quieter than Concorde. Meanwhile, Nasa and Lockheed Martin have joined forces to develop a one-person jet that is capable of travelling 1.4-Mach while making a sonic boom of just 75 decibels. Blake Scholl, Boom Supersonic's chief executive, said in a tweet over the weekend: 'A'ight folks, it's no surprise, but China has now officially entered the supersonic race. Game on. Let's beat 'em.' Beijing's pursuit of supersonic jet technology is likely to raise concerns about the potential for dual-use of the technology for military purposes. Comac was first started by the Chinese government in 2008. It is currently subject to sanctions from the US government over its links to the People's Liberation Army. In January, Beijing-based Sichuan Lingkong Tianxing Technology outlined plans for a supersonic drone able to travel at Mach-4, equivalent to 4,900km per hour, or 3,045 miles per hour. The Chinese drone is set to be called Cuantianhou, a name given to the Monkey King in Chinese mythology. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
