Boom
Builds Overture, a supersonic airliner, and now sells Superpower gas turbines to data centers.
The call
Boom has flown supersonic and booked real orders, but Overture revenue sits years out while cash needs run into the billions, so the next funding round and Superpower's 2027 turbine deliveries matter more right now than any airplane.
Boom is an aerospace company trying to make a new kind of fast airplane called Overture and also build power-generating turbines. The airplane won't make money for years, and Boeing and Airbus could build supersonic planes if there was real customer demand, so Boom's main edge is speed and focus rather than something competitors cannot copy. The company has raised about $600 million over 12 years but needs many billions more to finish the airplane and factory; if financial markets freeze or investors get cold feet, Boom could collapse like Aerion did in 2021, another supersonic startup that had big orders but ran out of money. The one thing that could prove Boom has a real business is if its new turbine business ships on time and starts generating cash to fund the airplane; any delay in turbines or difficulty raising the next round of money would signal serious trouble.
Why
01
AI pressure: None apparent. AI models don't compete with airframes or turbines; Boom instead sells its Superpower turbines to power AI data centers like Crusoe's. Could AI do the core job? Unlikely.
02
Bigger players: GE Vernova, Siemens Energy. Both have decades of installed turbine base and service networks; Boom's Superpower turbine hasn't shipped a single unit yet. Could a giant copy it? Probably.
03
What protects it. Real flight-tested tech (XB-1 supersonic flight), 130 airline orders, and a Trump executive order pushing FAA to lift the overland supersonic ban.
What would change this call
Superpower delivers first turbines to Crusoe Energy on the targeted late 2027 schedule. Shows Boom can execute against entrenched turbine incumbents GE Vernova and Siemens Energy.
FAA issues final rule on overland supersonic flight by mid 2027 without slipping. Clears a regulatory barrier that could eventually let Boeing or Airbus enter supersonic.
Boom closes its next funding round and discloses size, valuation, and lead investor. Tests whether Boom can keep raising billions or faces an Aerion style capital crunch.
FAA issues final rule on overland supersonic flight by mid 2027 without slipping. Clears a regulatory barrier that could eventually let Boeing or Airbus enter supersonic.
Boom closes its next funding round and discloses size, valuation, and lead investor. Tests whether Boom can keep raising billions or faces an Aerion style capital crunch.
Key numbers
- $300M raised Dec 2025 at $1.5B valuation
- 130 Overture orders/options from United, American, JAL
- Superpower turbine backlog: $1.25B, Crusoe order 29 units
Named risks
- Capital gap versus historical $6 to $32B cost of clean-sheet airliner plus engine programs.
- Overture entry-into-service slipping from 2029 target into the 2030s per Forecast International, July 2026.
- FAA final rule delay past mid-2027 target could stall US supersonic market opening.
- Superpower turbine deliveries missing late 2027 target would remove Boom's near-term cash engine.
- Aerion-style financing freeze given reliance on repeated mega-rounds to fund development.
Rivals, as read in July 2026
| Rival | Direction | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Hermeus | contesting | Hit $1B valuation and flew Quarterhorse at Mach 1.21, reported July 29, 2026 |
| Aerion Supersonic (defunct) | gaining on | Aerion folded in 2021 with $11B orders unfunded; Boom has surpassed it with $600M+ raised and flight-tested XB-1 |
| GE Vernova, Siemens Energy | contesting | Boom entered turbine market via Superpower launch and $1.25B backlog, Dec 2025 |
| Boeing, Airbus | gaining on | Both absent from supersonic by economics choice, not capability, as of 2026 |
Questions people ask
- Is Boom Supersonic profitable in 2026?
- No audited revenue is disclosed. Its Overture airliner targets 2029 entry into service, which Forecast International called 'highly speculative' on July 3, 2026, predicting slippage into the 2030s, so commercial revenue is years away.
- Could Boom Supersonic fail like Aerion did?
- It is a real risk. Aerion had an $11B order book and a Boeing partnership yet folded in 2021 unable to close financing. Boom has raised roughly $600M as of December 9, 2025, against historically $6 to $32B needed to build a clean-sheet airliner.
- Who is Boom Supersonic's biggest competitor?
- Hermeus, a Peter Thiel-backed hypersonic startup, hit a $1B valuation via a $350M Khosla Ventures-led raise in early 2026 and reported a Mach 1.21 Quarterhorse flight on July 29, 2026, directly contesting Boom's high-speed-flight lead.
- Can AI replace what Boom Supersonic's engineers do?
- No. Boom's work is physical hardware manufacturing, FAA certification, and turbine engineering that AI cannot substitute. Boom does use AI internally for acoustic and atmospheric modeling to enable its boomless supersonic cruise technique, per a December 14, 2025 account.
- Who owns Boom Supersonic and what is it worth?
- Boom is fully private and venture-backed. Its December 9, 2025 round raised $300M led by Darsana Capital Partners, with Altimeter, ARK Invest, and Bessemer participating, valuing the company at $1.5B post-money.
- Has Boom Supersonic actually flown faster than sound?
- Yes. Its XB-1 demonstrator broke the sound barrier on January 28, 2025, reaching Mach 1.122, becoming the first privately developed civil jet to do so, with a follow-up flight on February 10, 2025 hitting Mach 1.18.
Timeline
- 2026-07-02FAA publishes NPRM proposing repeal of 1973 overland supersonic ban
- 2026-06-11CEO targets late 2027 for first Superpower turbine deliveries
- 2026-03Supersonic Aviation Modernization Act (H.R. 3410) passes House
- 2025-12-09Boom raises $300M at $1.5B valuation, launches Superpower turbine line
- 2025-06-06Trump signs EO 14304 directing FAA to repeal overland supersonic ban
- 2025-04Boom acquires former Reaction Engines site as Symphony engine test facility
- 2025-02-10XB-1 second flight reaches Mach 1.18, ending test program
- 2025-01-28XB-1 breaks sound barrier at Mach 1.122 with no audible ground boom
- 2023-01-27Boom breaks ground on Greensboro Overture Superfactory
Revision history
29 July 2026
First assessed. Losing its protection. The text above is fixed as of this date and is not edited afterwards.
In the same band
Sources
- Boom Supersonic raises $300M to build natural gas turbines for Crusoe data centers (2025-12-09)
- Management and Employees List
- Meet Our Partners
- Boom Technology (2026-07-07)
- Federal Aviation Administration (2026-07-08)
- Boom Supersonic targeting late 2027 for first deliveries of ground turbines, CEO says (2026-06-11)
- Here's What Boom Supersonic Still Hasn't Solved About Overture's 2029 Passenger Service Promise (2026-07-03)
- Boom Supersonic - Headcount, Funding & Open Jobs (2026-06-19)
- Boom Supersonic breaks ground on Overture Superfactory (2023-01-27)
- Peter Thiel-backed Hermeus hits supersonic speed in Quarterhorse test (2026-07-29)
- Proposed FAA rule would allow civil supersonic flight over the United States
- Dude, where's my supersonic jet? (2025-12-14)