Naomi Cooper
Northrop Grumman has partnered with Boom Supersonic to develop new special mission variants of the latter’s Overture supersonic airliner for use in military and government missions.
The new version of the Overture aircraft is envisioned to carry up to 80 passengers at twice the speed of existing airliners and to support rapid response operations, including emergency evacuation and medical supply transport, Northrop said Tuesday.
The partnership expects to begin manufacturing the special mission variants for commercial use in 2024, start flight tests in 2026 and fly its first passengers in 2029.
In a separate announcement, Boom Supersonic said it has begun outfitting a hardware ground test facility in Colorado to accommodate Overture’s first full-scale testing model and flight deck simulators.
“Pairing Northrop Grumman’s airborne defense systems integration expertise with Boom’s advanced Overture supersonic aircraft demonstrates the power of collaborations like this for the benefit of our customers,” said Tom Jones, president of Northrop’s aeronautics systems division.
