B2707

The Boeing 2707 was an American supersonic transport (SST) project. After winning a competition for a government-funded contract to build an American SST, Boeing began development at its facilities in Seattle, Washington. The design emerged as a large aircraft with seating for 250 to 300 passengers and cruise speeds of approximately Mach 3. It was intended to be much larger and faster than preceding SST designs such as Concorde and Tu-144.

The SST was the topic of considerable concern within and outside the aviation industry. From the start, the airline industry had noted that the economics of the design were questionable, concerns that were only partially addressed during development. Outside the field, the entire SST concept was the subject of considerable negative press, centered on the issue of sonic booms and effects on the ozone layer.

A key design feature of the 2707 was its use of a swing wing configuration. During development the required weight and size of this mechanism continued to grow, forcing the team to start over using a conventional delta wing. Rising costs and the lack of a clear market led to its cancellation in 1971 before two prototypes had been completed.

FAA: President Kennedy, we have fallen behind the British, French and the Soviets in Supersonic aircraft development.
John F Kennedy: Damn it, start the B2707 program. Boeing will go the job.
Boeing: We've ran out of tecnology