We live in a rapidly evolving world where technology is making almost everything possible. People have started technological companies to make transportation faster and more efficient with the new technology. Companies such as Boom Technology have started to design high-speed passenger supersonic airlines such as Boom venture or boom jets. These jets are targeting to have a range of approximately eight thousand kilometers. The primary purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive literature review for the boom jets based on the definition of what boom jets are, the reason for their introduction in the market, what boom jets are doing with SST aircraft, their sustainability, and comparison between sustainability records of Tu-144, Concorde, and the boom jets.
Since the Concord era, various companies have developed new entry models of supersonic aircraft, but most have been unsuccessful due to bankruptcy. Currently, the surviving companies are dependent on the booming venture capital funding model. The boom jet or the boom venture is among the supersonic planes planned to be launched by 2029. According to Boom (2021), a boom jet is a supersonic airliner, also named the boom venture, designed to maintain Mach 2.2 with a range of over 1,900 kilometers and powered by three 19kN dry General Electric J85-15s (Boom, 2021). The launching and use of the boom jets are expected to cost more than double the total cost of the Aerion. However, the jets will be able to carry more than five times more passengers than Aerion. Boom jets are expected to fill the gap left by Concord and Aerion in terms of speed and capacity.
Air traveling is the most convenient means so transport from one continent to another. According to Rhoades (2008), the introduction of the boom jets in the market will significantly help other industries by ensuring convenient transport of passengers from one location to another throughout the globe (Rhoades, 2008). The International Air Transport Association (IATA) expects more than seven billion passengers to travel by 2035, almost double the 3.5 billion air travelers by 2015 (IATA, 2016). Therefore, introducing the boom will help realize and attain the set goal by the International Air Transport Association since the boom jets move faster than ordinary planes. According to The International Air Transport Association, the global aviation industry in the United States is currently at thirty-five billion dollars in profit. By 2035, the profits are expected to increase rapidly upon the introduction of the boom jets since they move faster and are expensive (IATA, 2016). The revenue generated from business solely passengers is expected to increase by more than twenty-five percent with the introduction of the boom jets. Therefore, introducing the boom jets will be of significant help to the government and the economic growth of the United States and any other country where the boom jets will be operating.
According to Dourado (2016), the remarkable growth in air traffic requires faster and more efficient commercial transportation (Dourado, 2016). The existing projects require competition and development innovation to make the air transport sector faster and more reliable. The only existing option is the introduction of supersonic boom jets. Besides the need for competition, the aviation market has rapidly grown. However, the technology seems to be stagnant. For instance, the time needed to fly across the Atlantic Ocean has been almost the same for almost forty years ago. Dourado (2016) argues that such an opportunity will suit such an extensive and remarkable industry (Dourado, 2016). The increasing demand for intercontinental flights and the market growth are establishing a quite promising ground for the introduction of boom jets and other supersonic-speed commercial airplanes.
Supersonic transport (SST) is a civilian supersonic plane that can transport passengers faster than the speed of sound (Aviation Week, 2016). However, the speed of sound is determined by several factors, including humidity and air temperature. The relationship is referred to as Mach1, as it shows the speed of an object such as a supersonic aircraft compared to the speed of sound, where Mach 1 is the same as the speed of sound. According to Sun (2017), there have been several challenges raised against supersonic transport (SST) in the past (Sun, 2017). Comparing the challenging raised against the benefits of the boom jets, there is no balance. Therefore, the introduction of the boom jets will hinder the achievements of their aims and their survival in the aviation industry.
According to Boom (2021), the boom jets’ newest SST aircraft will be sustainable. The boom jets’ newest SST will be an upgrade of the old SST model, and therefore, most of the raised concerns and challenges of the older SST will be addressed. According to Blake (2021), the founder and the CEO of the Boom supersonic, the newest boom jets will have net-zero carbon due to the approach used in designing the jets and the way the aircraft will be operated as well as recycled (Blake, 2021). Blake stated that the vision of the Boom Supersonic is to have a world more accessible, and therefore, they are working all the best to ensure the vision is achieved. The jets are set to ensure fuel efficiency. The company is applying the lessons from XB-1 to ensure the newest SST boom jets design is maximized for sustainable performance (Blake, 2021). According to Boom (2021), the company has also signed the Amazon Climate Pledge. The new jets will be capable of net-zero carbon on a life-cycle basis and fly on 100% sustainable aviation fuel (Boom, 2021).
According to Economist (2018), the aviation industry is among the significant sources of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide with critical effects on climate and atmosphere (Economist, 2018). The aircraft manufacturers are trying hard to switch to more environmentally friendly aviation by using novel engine designs and lighter materials than the ones used to create the Concorde and Tu-144 (Sun, 2017). The manufacturers are trying to integrate modern technology into the aviation industry to minimize the two percent of the total carbon dioxide emissions caused by the aviation industry (ACRP, 2011). To achieve sustainability better than that of Concorde and Tu-144, Boom Technology is applying the lessons from XB-1 to ensure the newest boom jets design is maximized for sustainable performance. According to Sun (2017), several environmental-related challenges have been raised concerning Concorde and Tu-144. Therefore, the boom jets are better than Concorde and Tu-144 in terms of sustainability. Other concerns about Concorde and Tu-144 were sonic boom, noise pollution, local air pollution, atmospheric ozone depletion, climate change, cosmic radiation, and fuel inefficiency (Economist, 2018). Most of these concerns and challenges have been fixed in the new boom jets, and therefore, they will be better than Concorde and Tu-144 in terms of operation and sustainability.
Having reliable, safe, and affordable air transportation is critical to life quality, environmental safety, and economic growth. The introduction of the boom jets might push the two steps forward by re-introducing commercial supersonic boom jets with a combination of new and improved technology. The boom jets can be a promising disruptive innovation with big odds of reshaping the airline industry by putting into operation accessible and affordable high-speed airplanes that will be spread to a larger population.
References
Aviation Week. (2016). Revival of Supersonic? Retrieved from: https://boomsupersonic.com/static/AviationWeek-Oct2016.pdf
Boom (2021). Affordable Supersonic Flight on the Horizon: Boom Unveils XB-1 Supersonic Demonstrator. Retrieved on 30-1-2021 from: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/affordable-supersonic-flight-on-the-horizonboom-unveils-xb-1-supersonic-demonstrator-300362692.html
Boom Supersonic. (2020). Why supersonic flight? Retrieved on 20-2-2020 from: https://boomsupersonic.com/faq/#q2
Blake Scholl CEO Boom Supersonic (2021). High Flyer Interview: Blake Scholl, CEO, Boom Technology. Airways Magazine. Retrieved on 30-1-2021 from: https://airwaysmag.com/industry/blake-scholl-ceo-boom-technology/
Dourado, E., Kotrous M. (2016) Airplane Speeds Have Stagnated For 40 Years. Mercatus Center. George Mason University. Retrieved from: https://www.mercatus.org/publication/airplane-speeds-have-stagnated-40-years
Economist. (2018). Supersonic jets may be about to make a comeback. Business travel. Retrieved from: https://www.economist.com/blogs/gulliver/2018/01/reinventingconcorde
IATA. (2016). Retrieved on 30-1-2018 from: http://www.iata.org/pressroom/pr/Pages/2017-12-05-01.aspx
Rhoades, D.L. and Waguespack, B. (2008), “Twenty years of service quality performance in the US airline industry”, Managing Service Quality, Vol. 18 No. 1, pp. 20-33.
Sun. (2017). Review and prospect of supersonic business jet design. Progress in Aerospace Sciences, 90, pp. 12-38.
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