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Boom & Rolls-Royce to collaborate on supersonic engine design
Boom Supersonic, a US-based aerospace company building the world’s fastest civil aircraft, has teamed up with Rolls-Royce to explore the pairing of a Rolls-Royce propulsion system with Boom’s flagship supersonic passenger aircraft, Overture.
The new engagement will involve teams from Boom and Rolls-Royce collaborating in engine-airframe matching activities for Overture.
The teams will investigate whether an existing engine architecture can be adapted for supersonic flight, while Boom’s internal team continues to develop the airframe configuration.
Boom Supersonic & Rolls-Royce are to collaborate on a supersonic engine design for the Overture aircraft / Picture: Boom Supersonic
Blake Scholl, Boom founder and CEO, said: “We’ve had a series of valuable collaborations and co-locations with Rolls-Royce over the past years to lay the groundwork for this next phase of development. We look forward to building on the progress and rapport that we’ve already built with our collaboration as we work to refine Overture’s design and bring sustainable supersonic transport to passenger travel.”
The priorities of this engagement are informed by Boom and Rolls-Royce’s shared commitment to sustainability. Both companies recognise that supersonic passenger travel has to be compatible with a net-zero carbon future, and the two teams will work together to address sustainability in Overture design and operations. Overcoming the technological challenges of supersonic flight provides a unique opportunity to accelerate innovation sustainably.
Simon Carlisle, director of strategy at Rolls-Royce, added: “We share a strong interest in supersonic flight and in sustainability strategies for aviation with Boom. We’re now building on our valuable experience in this space as well as our previous work together to further match and refine our engine technology for Boom’s Overture.”