Supersonic 'baby boom' aircraft to take off next year

Commercial supersonic air travel could return in just half a decade after a Richard Branson-backed company aiming to replace the concord announced it will begin test flights next year. Boom Supersonic has said initial test flights for its 1,451mph (2,330kph) aircraft, nicknamed the'baby boom', will begin by the end of 2018, with both subsonic and supersonic tests taking place in the US. Supersonic flight tests will be conducted near Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California in partnership with Virgin Galactic's The Spaceship Company. If the firm's full-sized, 55-seater aircraft is approved, the first passengers could be making a supersonic journey across the Atlantic by 2023 at a top speed more than 100mph (160km/h) faster than the infamous Concorde. Boom Supersonic has said initial test flights for its 1,451mph (2,330kph) aircraft, nicknamed the'baby boom', will begin by the end of 2018, with both subsonic and supersonic tests taking place in the US.