Boom Supersonic (Boom), the company building the world’s fastest airliner, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Overture Superfactory on June 17, celebrating the completion of construction. Located at the Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, North Carolina, the Overture Superfactory is the first supersonic airliner factory in the United States. Overture is Boom’s supersonic airliner, capable of flying twice as fast as today’s commercial planes on up to 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
“Construction of the Overture Superfactory represents a major milestone towards ensuring the United States’ continued leadership in aerospace manufacturing,” said Blake Scholl, founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic. “Supersonic flight will transform air travel, and Overture provides a much-needed innovative alternative for airlines across the globe.”
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 US$6 billion. Boom plans to build an additional assembly line, scaling to produce 66 supersonic airliners annually. The Overture Superfactory campus will also include a delivery centre where airlines including United, American and Japan Airlines will receive their supersonic aircraft.
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.
Today’s construction completion event comes shortly after the inaugural flight of XB-1, the supersonic demonstrator aircraft for Overture, which represents a major milestone towards 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.
