Boom’s supersonic jet could one day fly the president of the United States
This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page.
The U.S. Air Force has already locked in plans for a pair of Boeing 747-8s, intended to fly a future President of the United States. It’s an expensive project, as you might expect — the manuals alone come with an $84 million price tag — and those two Boeings likely won’t be the only members of the president’s fleet.
While the president most often travels onboard a Boeing VC-25, a highly modified 747-200, shorter journeys may take place on a Boeing C-32, based on the 757-200 passenger jet. And, if Boom Supersonic gets its way, the company’s Overture jet could also make its way to the fleet, flying the country’s top leaders at Mach 2.2.
It’s still early days for a potential Boom Air Force plane. This week, the company landed an Air Force contract, intended to help fund “explorations” of a special version of the Overture supersonic plane. The Air Force has also issued contracts with other companies to research a supersonic government passenger jet, including California-based Exosonic.
Boom’s big advantage is its speed. While Overture’s cabin is far smaller than that of the Boeing 747-8, the plane can cruise at 1,688 miles-per-hour, compared with 660 for the Boeing jumbo jet — a flight from the East Coast to Europe could take just over three hours, compared with more than six hours onboard the larger Boeing plane.
Sign up for TPG’s free new biweekly Aviation newsletter for more aviation news!
“The United States Air Force is constantly looking for technological opportunities to disrupt the balance of our adversaries,” Brigadier General Ryan Britton, Program Executive Officer for Presidential & Executive Airlift Directorate said in Boom’s press release. “We are extremely excited to team with them as we work to shrink the world and transform the future of executive airlift.”
TPG reached out to the U.S. Air Force for more details on its Boom-powered aircraft program. We’ll update this post if we receive a response.
Featured photo courtesy of Boom Supersonic.
Sign-up Successful!
Welcome to The Points Guy!
WELCOME OFFER: 80,000 Points
TPG'S BONUS VALUATION*: $1,600
CARD HIGHLIGHTS: 2X points on all travel and dining, points transferrable to over a dozen travel partners
*Bonus value is an estimated value calculated by TPG and not the card issuer. View our latest valuations here.
- Earn 80,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,000 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
- 2X points on travel and dining at restaurants worldwide, eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out & 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.
- Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards. For example, 80,000 points are worth $1,000 toward travel.
- Get unlimited deliveries with a $0 delivery fee and reduced service fees on orders over $12 for a minimum of one year on qualifying food purchases with DashPass, DoorDash's subscription service. Activate by 12/31/21.
- Earn 5X points on Lyft rides through March 2022. That’s 3X points in addition to the 2X points you already earn on travel.
Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
Disclaimer: The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.