Boom Supersonic Announces New Engine Partner

supersonic passenger air travel is being worked on by a Colorado based company. Both American Airlines and United Airlines have placed orders for the Boom Overture, which is supposed to be the modern day Concorde.

It's questionable how viable this idea is. Boom has been suggesting that the plane will enter service by 2029, but they haven't announced a partnership for an engine manufacturer. The commercial aviation supersonic market is not currently a priority for Rolls-Royce, which pulled out of the deal earlier this year.

A new engine partner has just been announced for the Boom Overture.

Boom partnering with Kratos on Overture engine

Not having an engine partner has been a concern for the viability of the jet. The new engine partner will be announced before the end of the year, as promised by boom.

We knew that Boom wouldn't have an engine partner that was a part of the "big four" Kratos will be partnering with Boom. Information about the financial arrangement between the companies is limited.

The company plans to invest $500 million in a production facility at the Piedmont Triad International Airport.

Good news that Boom found an engine partner.

• Boom would have lost a lot of credibility if there wasn’t an announcement before the end of the year
• I’m curious if Kratos is actually committing to investing significant amounts of money into making this engine a reality, or if this is more of a “we’re exploring a partnership” concept, in order to buy Boom more time
• Since the Boom Overture is a supersonic jet, I suppose partnering with a non-commercial jet engine producer isn’t a bad idea; then again, it’s pretty telling to me that none of the major commercial engine manufacturers have been willing to pursue this concept

Boom still has an uphill battle

I am still skeptical about this being a viable concept despite the fact that boom has raised an unbelievable amount of money. Can a jet be built that can fly fast? I think so.

Is it possible for Boom to build a plane that could carry passengers within seven years? I'm much more cautious about it.

• Boeing announced the 777X concept in 2013, and that’s expected to enter service in 2025 at the absolute earliest; that was “only” an update to an existing jet from one of the world’s largest aircraft manufacturers, so the timeline just seems highly unrealistic here
• The manufacturer of the Concorde never made money on the plane; most orders for the Concorde were never followed through on
• Given the range of the jet and the need for supersonic flight to be overwater, the actual markets where this is a viable concept are limited; sure, there’s New York to London, but aside from that, there aren’t that many city pairs
• I don’t think there’s a need for supersonic travel in the same way there used to be; premium travel has improved so much in terms of comfort, Wi-Fi connectivity, etc., so time spent traveling isn’t “wasted” in the same way as before
• With environmentalism being an increasingly important topic for airlines, I just don’t see how this concept fits into that, even if it’s much more fuel efficient than the Concorde was

If Boom is willing to take a multi-billion dollar loss on the project, the Boom Overture may be able to carry passengers by the year 2040. I don't think this plane will be profitable and could be flying by 2029.

I want to be proven wrong.

Bottom line

Kratos Defense and Security Solutions is the new engine partner for the Overture supersonic jet. This is good news because Boom promised an announcement before the end of the year. How substantive is this partnership? Is Kratos 100% committed to making this a reality regardless of the cost, or is it more of a PR stunt?

What do you think about this situation?