Boom Supersonic has entered into a three year strategic partnership with the United States Air Force valued at up to $60 million. The Air Force awarded the contract to Boom via their innovation arm, AFWERX, and its AFVentures division.
On Tuesday (January 11, 2022), Boom Supersonic announced that they have entered a three year strategic partnership with the United States Air Force (USAF) valued at up to $60 million. The contract was awarded to Boom through the Air Force’s innovation arm, AFWERX, and its AFVentures division, which is designed to accelerate commercial technologies. The contract is known as the Strategic Funding Increase or STRATFI, and is one of the program’s largest investments to date, marking a significant commitment to the future of supersonic aviation. The funding will accelerate the research & development of the Boom Overture, the company’s 65-88 passenger aircraft which will fly twice as fast as today’s airliners. The airliner will be designed to run on 100 percent sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and is scheduled to enter manufacturing in 2023, roll out in 2025, and enter passenger service by the end of the decade.
In today’s announcement, Boom Supersonic’s Fonder and CEO, Blake Scholl, said,
“We are proud of the Air Force’s continued support and recognition of Boom’s leadership in supersonic flight—and we see our partnership as mutually beneficial. With STRATFI, we’re able to collaborate with the Air Force on the unique requirements and needs for global military missions, ultimately allowing Boom to better satisfy the needs of the Air Force where it uses commercially-derived aircraft. As a potential future platform for the Air Force, Overture would offer the valuable advantage of time, an unmatched option domestically and internationally.”
The new USAF contract expands the U.S. Government’s efforts to remain at the forefront of supersonic commercial development. Additionally, a potential Overture derivative could offer the USAF a future strategic capability in rapid global transport and logistics, with potential applications including executive transport, intelligence, reconnaissance, special operations forces and the Pacific Air Forces (PACAF).
Boom Supersonic is developing a 65-88 passenger supersonic aircraft designed to run on 100 percent sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Overture’s order book, including purchases and options, currently stands at 70 aircraft. Boom’s XB-1 demonstrator aircraft rolled out in 2020 and its carbon neutral flight testing program is underway. The company is backed by world-class investors such as Bessemer Venture Partners, Emerson Collective and American Express Ventures.
Source: Boom Supersonic