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Investing.com -- US startup Boom Supersonic has made a significant breakthrough by sending its XB-1 jet faster than the speed of sound. The test flight, which took place over the Mojave Desert on Tuesday, marks the first time a privately funded plane has achieved this landmark speed.
Boom Supersonic now plans to develop a successor to the Concorde, named Overture. The new aircraft is designed to carry up to 80 passengers across the Atlantic in approximately 3.5 hours, which is about half the time taken by a regular jet.
According to Boom’s CEO, Blake Scholl, regulations are now the primary obstacle. He stated, "Today, we have one of the silliest rules in the world, which is you can’t fly supersonic over land, no matter how quiet the airplane is. And so, we’re picking up where Concorde left off. Initially, we’ll fly right under the speed of sound over land, which is still 20% faster than a Boeing (NYSE:BA) or Airbus. And over the water, we’ll open up the throttles and go twice as fast."
Boom Supersonic is hopeful that these regulations will change and asserts that Overture will be much more economical to operate than the Concorde. The company has built a factory for the new plane in Greensboro, North Carolina, and reports that it has 130 orders and expressions of interest from American Airlines (NASDAQ:AAL), United Airlines, and Japan Airlines.
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