Video Discription |
Boom Supersonic is building the closet thing we have to the next Concorde. In this video, I'm going to show you the XB-1 test aircraft and how this small Denver firm is bringing back supersonic flight with the XB-1's bigger brother, the Boom Overture. So strap in and power up your afterburners.
Previously we have touched base on three other potential supersonic projects, the virgin supersonic plane, Aerion AS2 and the Spike S-512. However, these three aircraft are nothing more than CG mock-ups and don't actually exist beyond a computer screen.
Currently under development and set to fly test flights next year, the XB-1 is a third-size demonstrator trijet that is effectively the first private civil supersonic aircraft ever built without government funding.
The firm revealed the prototype aircraft today into the sun for the first time, and showcased its technical progress to the world.
The XB-1, baby boom, can seat one crew member in a close configuration. It is not designed for passenger use, only for there to be room enough onboard for two test pilots.
It is 68 feet long, 21 meters, with a wingspan of 17 feet, or five meters. So its very small compared to many other supersonic jet projects.
It is powered by three General Electic J85-15 turbojets, that provide 4,300 pounds of thrust each.
This will allow the aircraft to fly up to Mach 2.2, faster than the Concorde, although thanks to its small size and limited fuel capacity, it only has a range of 1,000 nautical miles or 1,900 km.
To combat the impressive air friction heat that will spill into the aircraft's cabin, the fuel onboard itself is ingeniously used as a heat sink.
Alas flight tests won't begin until 2021, and supersonic flight testing until well into next year. As supersonic flight requires a supersonic trained pilot, Boom is working with the US military to test the airframe at Edwards Airforce Base in California. This base is well known for as the testbed for today's premiere aerospace technology programs, including the Global Hawk, Hypersonic flight, and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
The company has not ruled out that the XB-1 will be available as a purchase for rich enthusiasts, but likely the aircraft will need to undergo plenty of testing and pass certification before its commercially available.
What certification that maybe is unknown, as the US government doesn't have any structure yet .
But this aircraft's real purpose is only a proof of concept for a much bigger, grander vision, the Boom Overture.
This bigger aircraft will be the ultimate next-generation concorde, at 170 feet long (52 m), with a wing space of 60 feet (52).
It will have a seat capacity for 55-business class passengers in a 1-1 configuration. Each passenger will have 75 inches of leg room, which is typical of a business class seat today. It will have three engines at the back, providing 15,000–20,000 pounds of (67–89 kN) thrust each
Flying at a range of Mach 2.2, the plane will have a total range of around 4,500 nautical miles or 8,300 km).
"One of the principal reasons that Concorde wasn't affordable was that it just consumed too much fuel, Fast forward 50 years and, none of those things need to be true any more thanks to more advanced engine designs."
According to Boom Supersonic, this opens up around 500 daily routes across water that would be perfect for the aircraft. Highlights include:
New York City to London in 3 hours and 15 minutes.
Miami to Santiago in only three hours and 4 minutes,
The firm has said they could put int 30 lie-flat bed seats onboard for these longer flights, with a few business class seats.
Currently, Boom Supersonic is targeting around $5,000 us dollars for new york to london round trip which you may remember is a quarter of the price of the original Concorde 20,000.
Unlike many other projects on this channel, the Boom Supersonic Overture is getting serious airline attention. By the 2017 Paris Air Show, the company has 51 commitments for 76 aircraft. Five major airlines have placed orders, with Japan Airlines confirmed to have pre-booked up to 20 of the first jets - for a tune of $10 million dollars. At $200 million per unit, Boom predicts that they may have up to 2000 aircraft over the course of the generation - a $400 billion dollar market.
And at only $6 billion to design, prototype and bring the concept to market,
The aircraft is also earmarked for a possible Air Force One supersonic jet by the US Air Force. But we will cover that in another video very soon, so subscribe to be sure not to miss it.
There are a few roadblocks on the way for this engineering marvel. For one, they need to get the XB-1 flying high and proven before they even beging to find money for the bigger Boom Overture.
If you enjoyed this video, be sure to check out my other videos on supersonic aircraft, or the crazy Boeing sonic cruiser that almost got built.
Subscribe and let me know what you think in the comments. |