Concorde was not built to be an economic airliner in the traditional sense; instead, from start to finish, it was a national prestige program. If understood in this way, the aircraft suddenly makes sense, including how and why it was developed and why it didn't get a successor. It also explains why it got a Soviet twin, but not American cousins. It is often said Concorde was ahead of its time. While that may be true, it is also somewhat presumptuous. The most high-profile commercial passenger supersonic airliner in development today is the 60-80 seat Boom Supersonic Overture. History is…