Boom Supersonic Aims to Shake Up Aviation Industry with New Planes and Engines

Blake Scholl's company Boom Supersonic aims to shake up the stagnant aviation industry by building a new generation of supersonic planes. According to Scholl, Boeing has not built a new airplane in 20 years and its latest aircraft is essentially a modern version of its first plane from 1957.

The XB1, a privately developed supersonic jet built by Boom, broke the sound barrier in 2025 and carried the first supersonic Starlink installation. Scholl's goal is to make commercial supersonic travel possible again, which was banned over land since 1973 due to noise regulations.

Boom has developed a technique called 'boomless cruise,' which reduces the sonic boom by bending it into a 'big U-turn in the sky.' This allows the plane to fly at full speed without generating a significant sonic boom. The XB1 can reach speeds of Mach 1.7, roughly 50% faster than today's subsonic cruise.

Boom is also working on building its own engine from scratch, which will be used in its supersonic planes. This vertically integrated approach is a departure from traditional manufacturers that often outsource their hardest capabilities. The same engine core can be repurposed for ground use as a power unit for data centers, which could generate tens of gigawatts of demand.

Boom aims to add 10+ gigawatts to the grid in the next five years and has received orders from major airlines for its Overture supersonic planes. The break-even round-trip fare is expected to be around $3,500, roughly the price of a business-class seat on a subsonic flight.