The Dream of Speed Revisited

Since Concorde’s retirement in 2003, no commercial aircraft has come close to matching its performance - Mach 2.04 at cruising altitude, slicing the transatlantic flight time in half. But with renewed interest, advanced composites, and more efficient propulsion systems, the question is no longer “if,” but “when.”

As an airline pilot with 10 years experience, I’ve spent enough time at FL390 watching the curvature of the Earth to know there’s a romance to high-speed flight that still captures imaginations. The supersonic dream isn’t dead, it’s taxiing slowly, but purposefully, to the runway.

Supersonic Flight - What’s the Hold-Up?

The physics of supersonic flight are straightforward, but unforgiving. The drag coefficient increases dramatically past Mach 1 due to wave drag - a form of aerodynamic resistance resulting from shock waves. Lift must overcome not only the weight of the aircraft but also maintain efficiency at both subsonic and supersonic speeds.

Lift (L) is governed by the equation:
L = ½ × ρ × V² × S × CL
Where:
ρ = air density V = velocity S = wing area CL = coefficient of lift

In supersonic regimes, the velocity term (V²) dominates - making drag management and structural integrity mission-critical. New designs like delta wings and variable-geometry intakes aim to strike a balance between lift and drag at multiple speeds, but that complexity comes at huge cost!

Who’s Building the Next Concorde?

A number of aviation startups and legacy players are back in the supersonic game:

Boom Supersonic’s Overture is expected to fly passengers at Mach 1.7, with a planned range of 4,250 nautical miles. Powered by the Symphony engine - a bespoke, net-zero carbon system, Boom claims to be 100% SAF-compatible.

NASA and Lockheed Martin’s X-59 QueSST is a low-boom demonstrator aimed at overturning FAA regulations that currently ban supersonic flight over land. The aircraft’s shape and engine placement are engineered to minimise sonic booms to a gentle “thump.”

Spike Aerospace and Exosonic are also developing supersonic business jets that may hit the market before commercial widebodies return to Mach >1 speeds, with claims like "New York to London in 3.3 hours!"

Why is Supersonic Travel Taking so Long?

There are three main reasons:

Regulation - Overland sonic booms remain banned in most jurisdictions. Without overland routes, supersonic aircraft are limited to niche city pairs.

Environmental Impact - Despite improvements, fuel burn at supersonic speeds remains 2-3x higher than subsonic jets.

Economics - The operating cost per seat-mile makes profitability difficult. Unless the jet can carry enough passengers affordably, airlines won’t commit.

A Technical and Cultural Shift Is Coming

Unlike the 1960s Concorde era, today’s industry is data-driven. CFD (computational fluid dynamics), AI-assisted design, and materials like titanium-lithium alloys are changing the game. Combined with SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel) and hydrogen propulsion research, the next supersonic jet may look less like Concorde and more like a UAV-meets-Gulfstream hybrid.

Even at the controls of a modern jet, you can feel the industry shifting. Just as fly-by-wire revolutionised cockpit design, supersonic travel may soon redefine what it means to cross time zones.

When will there be a supersonic airliner?

We’re not far off. Within the next 10–15 years, we may see niche supersonic routes reappear - New York to London, Tokyo to San Francisco, Sydney to Singapore. Whether it becomes as common as a red-eye to Tenerife is another story.

But one thing is clear: the dream of Mach 2 still lingers at every gate, especially for those of us who live and breathe the sky.

For now, I’ll be watching their progress while sipping on a Concorde Cappuccino. Maybe one day we'll be serving Jet Bean Coffee above Mach 1, we can only dream!

Nathan Raab
Airline Pilot | Better Coffee Advocate | Jet Bean Founder