Boom Overture ... new design ...

[rb1957]

from Flight today ...
"Boom Supersonic reveals new design for Overture
19 Jul 2022

Supersonic aircraft developer Boom has introduced a new design for its Overture flagship aircraft, which it hopes to fly for the first time in early 2026."

You gotta love the optimism ! A new design supersonic plane flying within 4 years.

another day in paradise, or is paradise one day closer ?

 

[btrueblood]

I think it could be possible for a small-ish company to take an older low-bypass engine and modify it for low supersonic use; more effort is required on inlet and cowling than the internal bits. Dunno how difficult it would be to get it to run efficiently and durably with biofuel, different problem.

 

[RoarkS]

Kinda what I was thinking. Their concept does look like a B58 with J79's.
I mean I know where a J79 cutaway is. Could take a scanner over there, figure out some COTS part numbers and get pretty close.

Biofuel... when I was at University one of my capstone classes, and student worker job was working on a DARPA Algae Jet A project. It was a really good match to JetA but we joked, the first ounce was $2 million. I was pretty proud of that. Some of the stuff I designed is in the Boeing Future of Flight museum at Paine field. I thought Algae was gonna be it... but the infrastructure to do it was cost prohibitive. If I could have a nuclear plant next to it to provide power we'd be in business. But at that point... Electric Jets are coming.

I should go see if I can find the old cost projections and see if it's still unfeasible with Jet A being over $6/gal. LOL!

 

[rb1957]

I don't see a rebuild on an old jet getting the fuel efficiency that these guys want, and from "rubbish" fuel too.

electric planes may be coming, but battery technology has to improve a lot before it's really practical.

"Hoffen wir mal, dass alles gut geht !"
General Paulus, Nov 1942, outside Stalingrad after the launch of Operation Uranus.

 

[RoarkS]

I think electric is the future but batteries are not. By the time we get batteries with energy densities up there next to JetA they're gonna be a special dangerous. Not that a full tank of JetA isn't a spectacular fire, but a whole box full of e- getting loose in a hurry will probably be seen from space...during the day.

 

[rb1957]

then what fuel source ? generators run by an APU ? has disadvantages, but would be run at the optimal design point.

airships ?

"Hoffen wir mal, dass alles gut geht !"
General Paulus, Nov 1942, outside Stalingrad after the launch of Operation Uranus.

 

[WKTaylor]

Boom, and many other start-ups, have obviously not understood an underlying aviation truism regarding proof-of-concept... which even a dummy like me has noted...

Better-than is the enemy of good-enough. FLY FIRST... EVOLVE LATER.

I am sure there are commercial evolutions of the military F404 that has advanced far-enough to be 'good-enough'... for now.

Regards, Wil Taylor
o Trust - But Verify!
o We believe to be true what we prefer to be true. [Unknown]
o For those who believe, no proof is required; for those who cannot believe, no proof is possible. [variation,Stuart Chase]
o Unfortunately, in science what You 'believe' is irrelevant. ["Orion", Homebuiltairplanes.com forum]