Boom Supersonic took another step Wednesday in putting its Greensboro production lineup into place by announcing Advanced Integration Technology as the tooling and automation provider for the Overture final assembly line.
Boom is planning a $500 million “superfactory” at Piedmont Triad International Airport with at least 1,761 jobs at full production in 2030.
Boom also disclosed plans to hold a ground-breaking ceremony for the 400,000-square-foot facility in December.
The manufacturer said landing a tooling and automation provider and integrator “is an important prerequisite for aircraft production.”
Boom, based in Denver, has been widely seen as a promising aircraft manufacturer — though one not likely to have a proven product until the 2026-29 timeframe.
The manufacturer has said it would begin test flights in 2026 from its planned PTI factory.
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Boom’s agreement with Advanced Integration Technology (AIT) spans the design, fabrication, and installation of custom tooling for the facility.
AIT, based in Plano, Texas, markets its services as precision turnkey automated positioning systems for large aircraft assembly. Among its customers are Boeing for its 787 fleet, along with Bombardier, Learjet and Global Aeronautica.
ALT will provide an end-to-end system for Boom, creating transportation and positioning tools for fuselage assembly, wing assembly, wing-to-fuselage joining, and final assembly.
“This order will help ensure that the Superfactory is ready for Overture’s manufacturing launch in 2024,” said Chris Taylor, Boom’s vice president of manufacturing.
The ALT announcement follows updates that it has signed supplier agreements with Collins Aerospace, Safran Landing Systems and Eaton.
Engine challenge
Boom said it is “in advanced supplier conversations for several other major components of the aircraft, and also plans to announce its engine partner later this year.”
On Sept. 8, Rolls-Royce chose to exit its contract with Boom, meaning Boom needs to find a new engine designer and manufacturer for Overture.
Opinions on the significance of the Rolls-Royce partnership ending after just two-plus years vary, with some analysts expressing concern about the experimental nature of Boom’s strategy and others focusing on Rolls-Royce’s current financial struggles.
The uncertainty over Boom engine development increased when industry trade publication FlightGlobal.com reported Sept. 16 that potential suppliers GE Aviation, Honeywell and Safran Aircraft Engines have indicated no interest in developing engines for civil supersonic aircraft.
Another potential supplier, Raytheon Technologies Corp.’s Pratt & Whitney business unit, told FlightGlobal.com that it remains focused on subsonic engine development.
“We haven’t added (civil supersonic) into our overall business strategy,” P&W chief sustainability officer Graham Webb told FlightGlobal.com. He called supersonic civil aircraft “tangential” to Pratt & Whitney’s core market, and cited efficiency concerns.
Boom’s response was to repeat its Sept. 8 comments: “Overture remains on track to carry passengers in 2029.”
On Sept. 23, Boom signed a sustainable aviation fuel agreement with Air Co., which makes carbon-negative products from CO2, or carbon dioxide.
Overture is expected to be the first large commercial aircraft to be net-zero carbon from Day One, running on 100% sustainable aviation fuel, also known by the acronym SAF.
As part of the agreement with Air, Boom has agreed to purchase up to 5 million gallons of Airmade sustainable aviation fuel on an annual basis over the duration of the Overture flight test program.
On Sept. 21, Boom said it hired Richard Parker, a former Rolls-Royce executive of 40 years, to serve as a senior advisor on technical, commercial and sustainability issues. Parker served 15 years as Rolls Royce’s chief technology officer.
Local fingerprints
Kevin Baker, Piedmont Triad International’s executive director, said in July that “grading is underway right now” for a planned 400,000-square-foot Boom Supersonic facility.
Construction is expected to start next year, with completion expected in the second quarter of 2024.
Overture is being designed to carry 65 to 80 passengers at Mach 1.7 over water — or twice the speed of today’s fastest commercial aircraft — with a range of 4,250 nautical miles.
Overture will be powered by four wing-mounted engines that also enable the airliner to cruise just under Mach 1 over land.
At those speeds, flying from Miami to London in just under five hours and Los Angeles to Honolulu in three hours are among the possibilities, Boom has said.
Elected officials have promised more than $116 million in local and state incentives to the company.
A state Commerce Department report on the Boom project determined the operational hub could bolster the North Carolina economy by $32.3 billion over the 20 years of the state’s $87.2 million Job Development Investment grant agreement.
