However, moves towards electric-powered engines were futile in the supersonic sector as batteries currently possess around 60 times less energy than jet fuel, he said. Asked whether he was in competition with Boeing and Lockheed Martin, which have produced blueprints for aircraft operating at even higher speeds than Boom, Mr Scholl said: You can call it a race, but it doesn't sound like much of a race to me.
The firm's planes would be airborne within seven years, he said, while rival plans would not lift off for several decades.