Boeing 2707

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The Boeing 2707 was an American plan in the 1960s to build a fast, large passenger airplane that could fly people across the Atlantic at supersonic speeds. Boeing hoped it would carry about 250–300 passengers and cruise around Mach 3, making it bigger and faster than rivals like the Concorde.

At first, Boeing tried a swing-wing design, where the wings could sweep back for high speed. But as the project grew, the weight and size became too large, so Boeing switched to a fixed tailed-delta wing. The final version, called the 2707-300, seated about 234 passengers and used four GE engines mounted under the tailplane.

Boeing won the U.S. government’s SST (supersonic transport) contract and competed with Lockheed and North American for the airframe design. After many reviews, Boeing’s 2707 design was chosen in 1967, beating Lockheed’s L-2000 in the final selection. The project moved ahead with plans for two full-size prototypes and a path to commercial service in the early 1970s.

However, the program faced big problems. Developing a supersonic airliner raised costs and sparked strong public debate over sonic booms, higher fuel use, and potential harm to the ozone layer. Environmental groups and others questioned the market and the economics. Despite strong political support early on, funding was cut by the U.S. Senate in March–May 1971, and the program was canceled. Boeing and its partners never completed the prototypes, and many jobs were lost as the project ended.

The SST race also affected the industry for years. Concorde remained in service from 1976 to 2003, while the U.S. effort effectively ended. NASA continued researching advanced designs, and the era helped spur other aviation advances. Today, no commercial supersonic transports are flying, though the 2707 is remembered as the ambitious project that could have changed air travel—and as a symbol of Seattle’s aerospace history.