The XB-1 supersonic test aircraft broke its own speed record on Tuesday, flying at a speed of Mach 0.82 or 499 knots (575 miles per hour or 925 km per hour) in the air.
This historic milestone, achieved over California's Mayan Desert, marks the closest Boom Technology's supersonic demonstrator aircraft has ever attempted to travel faster than the speed of sound, Mach 1.
Boom's efforts with the XB-1 promise to provide technical insights for its next passenger jet, the Overture: a Mach 1.7 vehicle scheduled for testing in 2026. At Mach 0.82, the XB-1 can make the trip from New York City to London in 6 hours — but, at Mach 1.7, the Overture will soon complete that journey in just 2.7 hours.
Tuesday's test also took this extraordinary aircraft higher than ever before. 'The XB-1 reached a new maximum altitude of more than 7 km above sea level, allowing the team to conduct a final cabin pressure test,' Boom noted, 'ensuring it is safe to continue up to 9 km—the altitude at which the XB-1 will fly when it reaches supersonic speeds.'
Boom's project has been compared to the famous Concorde passenger jets of the 20th century, which flew over the Atlantic at Mach 2 speeds from 1973 to 2003. Boom has assured the public that, like Concorde, their supersonic aircraft will break the sound barrier and create its loud supersonic roar only over the ocean.
The company also promised in 2017 that flights from NYC to London would cost around $5,000 per customer, compared to the old Concorde price which would have been $20,000 adjusted for today's inflation.
United Airlines has ordered 15 Overtures and has options for 35 more, according to a Boom press release this July, with plans to launch the supersonic fleet in 2029. "I do a lot of business trips around the U.S. that I finish in one day — I can come back to see my kids that evening," explained Mike Leskinen, United's vice president of corporate development.
"This will open up the same opportunity for Western Europe," Leskinen told The Orange County Register. Tuesday's flight tests, led by Boom's chief pilot, Tristan 'Geppetto' Brandenburg, also included testing a 'vibration-emissions stimulation' (FES) system on the aircraft's wings.
The FES system helps ensure that both the XB-1 test aircraft, and one day the Overture, will behave predictably in the air as the aircraft pass through 'transonic' speeds, coping with turbulence and air pressure near the sound barrier.
'The XB-1 team conducted vibration system tests at higher speeds than previous flights,' the company said, 'reaching test points at Mach 0.7, 0.75 and 0.8.'
Boom will one day compete for passengers with Texas-based airline Venus Aerospace, which is also working on a hypersonic aircraft, called the Stargazer.
If approved for commercial travel, the $33 million Venus plane could complete the 3,459-mile journey from London to New York in less than an hour, or about three times faster than Concorde (1,354 mph). The Stargazer would be even five times faster than the X-59 (937 mph), a future NASA aircraft that has also been dubbed the 'Son of Concorde' by some observers.
However, one of the lead engineers on NASA's X-59 project, Peter Coen, has disputed this nickname, saying the experimental aircraft is much more than that. 'The X-59 is not, I repeat, not a son of Concorde, except for the general shape of the wing,' Coen, mission integration manager for NASA's Quest mission, told DailyMail.com last January. The X-59 will be NASA's testbed to usher in a new era of supersonic flight, he said.
NASA's ultimate goals for the aircraft are to develop the quietest supersonic flight, bring this technology to passenger aircraft and repeal the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) 50-year ban on supersonic flights over U.S. soil, Coen explained.
The X-59, built by Lockheed Martin for $247.5 million, is the main aircraft for the Quest mission. "The features on the X-59 are what you'll see in a supersonic passenger jet in the future," the engineer said. These include swept-back wings positioned far back on the aircraft; a tail that creates lift; and an engine mounted high above the wings.
But for now: 'The X-59 is just a technology demonstrator that won't leave U.S. airspace,' according to Chris Combs, director of the aerospace engineering program at the University of Texas at San Antonio.
'If it is proven that it is possible to fly over land without creating noise problems at supersonic speeds,' Combs added, 'it opens up a lot more avenues for a potential carrier, perhaps making the whole endeavor a more easily justifiable business venture.' /GazetaExpress/
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