Boom Supersonic ’s XB-1 aircraft has achieved its fastest speed yet , blasting towards its goal of surpassing the speed of sound .
During its seventh trial flying on November 5 , the experimental aircraft reached a new top speed of Mach 0.82 , or 1,012 kilometers ( 629 miles ) per 60 minutes .
Since itsfirst flightin March 2024 , XB-1 has been successively ramp up its movement to accomplish the speed of sound ( Mach 1 ) , which is just over 1,234 km ( 767 miles ) per hour . Although the plane is still shortsighted of achieving that effort for now , its drawing string of successful flights suggests it is well on the way to that target .
" XB-1 , Boom ’s ultrasonic protester aircraft , continues to come along toward Mach 1 , " Boom Supersonic say in astatementafter the 7th test escape .
" flight of steps seven focus on flutter envelope expansion and cockpit pressing testing for see safe performance and handling qualities as XB-1 approach supersonic speeds and high altitude , " the aerospace companionship added .
The tardy test flight of stairs was pilot by Tristan “ Geppetto ” Brandenburg , a alumnus of the United States Naval Test Pilot School . Along with breaking the planing machine ’s amphetamine record , his flight also accomplish Modern heights with a disc altitude of 7,014 meters ( 23,015 foot ) .
The XB-1 program is being used to inform the design and development of Overture , Boom ’s planned supersonic airliner they trust to ferment into a commercial-grade operation .
The Overture aircraft is still in its early evolution phase , but the company suggest it could become a light-green successor toConcorde , the supersonic passenger - carrying commercial airplane that could cruise at Mach 2 .
Concorde fly paying rider between 1976 and 2003 , but it at last failed because supersonic travel wasbecoming increasingly expensiveand demand for seats on the aeroplane slumped . Another nail in the casket was the disastrous Air France Flight 4590 crash in 2000 , which killed 113 multitude . The pointy - nosed plane also burn a lot of fossil fuel and kicked out a lot of contamination , something that Boom Supersonic is very keen to avoid .
“ I ’ve been expect over 20 yr for an environmentally friendly successor to Concorde and XB-1 ’s first escape is a major landmark towards my dream being understand . When I last flew Concorde in 2003 I knew that this Clarence Shepard Day Jr. would come . The first trajectory of the XB-1 ultrasonic demonstrator is a substantial achievement toward making sustainable supersonic flight of stairs a world , aboard Overture – my # 1 choice as the successor to Concorde,”saidCaptain Mike Bannister , former Chief Concorde Pilot for British Airways .
XB-1 is not the only novel ultrasonic plane in developing in the US , either . NASA has been restfully working on the X-59 , an experimental aircraft that can fly quicker than the speed of audio without creating a sonic boom – a feat that’seasier said than done .
