Rolls-Royce to collaborate with Boom Supersonic

Boom Supersonic and Rolls-Royce have signed an agreement to examine the pairing of a Rolls-Royce propulsion system within Boom’s proposed supersonic passenger aircraft, Overture, the companies announced on 30 July.

In a statement, Boom said the agreement calls for the companies to work together to identify the propulsion system that would complement Boom’s Overture airframe. Both teams will also examine certain “key” aspects of the propulsion system, the statement said. Specifically, they will investigate whether Rolls can adapt an existing engine architecture 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. “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 companies made clear that they were both aware of the need for supersonic passenger travel to help meet a “net-zero carbon future,” adding that the two teams will work together to address sustainability in Overture design and operations.

“We share a strong interest in supersonic flight and in sustainability strategies for aviation with Boom,” said Simon Carlisle, director of strategy for Rolls-Royce. “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.”