Boom Supersonic, a company aiming to bring supersonic passenger travel back into the mainstream, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Overture Superfactory last month, celebrating the completion of construction. Located at the Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, North Carolina, it is the first supersonic airliner factory in the USA. Overture is Boom’s supersonic aeroplane, capable of flying twice as fast as today’s commercial jets on up to 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
Blake Scholl, founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic, said: “Construction of the Overture Superfactory represents a major milestone toward ensuring the USA’s continued leadership in aerospace manufacturing. Supersonic flight will transform air travel, and Overture provides a much-needed innovative alternative for airlines around the world.”
Hundreds of millions of passengers will fly supersonic on aircraft produced at the Overture Superfactory. This first assembly line has the capacity to produce 33 Overture aircraft per year, valued at more than $6 billion. Boom also plans to build an additional assembly line, scaling to produce 66 supersonic airliners annually. The Overture Superfactory campus will include a delivery centre where airlines including United Airlines, American Airlines, and Japan Airlines will receive their supersonic aircraft.
North Carolina economists estimate that the full Boom manufacturing programme will grow the state’s economy by at least $32.3 billion over 20 years, with the Superfactory directly adding more than 2,400 jobs.
Built by BE&K Building Group and designed by BRPH, the Overture Superfactory will be LEED certified and is expected to be at least 40% more energy efficient compared to similar manufacturing facilities. With the building now complete, Boom will focus on operationalising the production floor. In partnership with tooling supplier Advanced Integration Technology (AIT), Boom will begin procuring and installing tooling into the Superfactory, beginning with an advanced test cell unit. As the first major piece of equipment to be installed, the test cell will be used to develop manufacturing processes, optimise the flow of the assembly line, and prepare staff for Overture production.
The factory completion ceremony came hot on the heels of the inaugural flight of XB-1, the supersonic demonstrator aircraft for Overture, which represents a major milestone toward the return of supersonic air travel. XB-1 has received a first-of-its-kind Special Flight Authorisation (SFA) to Exceed Mach 1 from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The XB-1 flight test programme continues to progress in Mojave, California, and will confirm the aircraft’s performance and handling qualities up to and through supersonic speeds.