Boom Supersonic and Rolls-Royce agree to work on propulsion system for supersonic jet

Boom Supersonic and Rolls-Royce announced Thursday an engagement agreement to explore the pairing of a Rolls-Royce propulsion system with Boom's flagship supersonic passenger aircraft, Overture.

The goal of the new agreement is to work together to identify the propulsion system that would complement Boom's Overture airframe. 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.

"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," said Blake Scholl, Boom founder and CEO.

Both companies recognize that supersonic passenger travel has to be compatible with a net-zero carbon future. Overcoming the technological challenges of supersonic flight provides a unique opportunity to accelerate innovation sustainably.

"We share a strong interest in supersonic flight and in sustainability strategies for aviation with Boom," said Simon Carlisle, Director of Strategy, Rolls-Royce.

Boom announced July 8 that its supersonic demonstrator XB-1 will roll out on Oct. 7.

The potential for Electrified Aircraft Propulsion

NASA will lead a meeting next month that will perform a market assessment of U.S. industry leaders regarding the potential for electrified aircraft to include electric drive train, power distribution, and energy storage concepts to be used, in whole or in part, as primary propulsion for fixed-wing passenger-carrying transport aircraft.

The Industry Day meeting, scheduled for Dec. 6, will be held at the Logistics Management Institute in Tysons, Va. The event is being organized by the Associate Director for Flight Strategy, Integrated Aviation System Program at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va. There will be up to eight one-hour briefing slots allocated to the industrial base during the meeting.