News

Supersonic test plane XB-1 smashed its top speed record Tuesday, screaming through the sky at Mach 0.82 or 499 knots (575 miles per hour) true air speed.

Supersonic test plane XB-1 smashed its top speed record Tuesday, screaming through the sky at Mach 0.82 or 499 knots (575 miles per hour) true air speed.

The milestone, achieved high above California’s Mojave Desert, marks the closest that aerospace innovator Boom Technology’s supersonic demonstrator aircraft has come to traveling faster than the speed of sound, Mach 1.

Boom’s XB-1 effort promises to deliver the technical knowhow for their future supersonic passenger jet, Overture: a Mach 1.7 craft slated for testing in 2026.

At Mach 0.82, subsonic test plane XB-1 could get from New York City to London in 6 hours — but, at Mach 1.7, the Overture will soon make that trip in just 2.7 hours.

But, Tuesday’s test also took the exotic aircraft higher than it has every gone before.

‘XB-1 reached a new top altitude of 23,015 feet, allowing the team to perform a final cockpit pressurization test,’ Boom noted, ‘ensuring that it is safe to proceed up to 30,000 feet — the altitude XB-1 will fly when it reaches supersonic speeds.’

Boom’s project has been likened to the famous Concorde passenger jets of the 20th Century, which flew over the Atlantic at speeds of Mach 2 from 1973 to 2003.

Boom has assured the public that, like the Concorde of old, their supersonic jet will only break the sound barrier and peal its thunderous sonic booms over the ocean.

The company also vowed in 2017 that its NYC to London flights will cost about $5,000 per customer, compared to Concorde’s old seats decades ago, which would amount to $20,000 adjusted for inflation today.

United Airlines has ordered 15 Overtures and optioned 35 more, according to a Boom press release this past July, with plans to deploy this supersonic fleet in 2029.

‘I’ve done a lot of business trips around the US that I make day trips — I can get back to see my kids that evening,’ United’s vice president of corporate development Mike Leskinen explained.

‘This will open up Western Europe to do the same,’ Leskinen told southern California newspaper The Orange County Register.

This Tuesday’s flight tests, piloted by Boom’s ace Chief Test Pilot Tristan ‘Geppetto’ Brandenburg, also tested a ‘flutter excitation system’ (FES) on the craft’s wings.

The FES system helps to ensure that both the XB-1 test craft, and one day the Overture, will behave predictably in the air as the planes traverses ‘transonic’ speeds, weathering turbulence and pressure from the surrounding air near the sound barrier.

‘The XB-1 team performed tests of the flutter excitation system at higher speeds than previous flights,’ the firm said, ‘hitting Mach 0.7, 0.75, and 0.8 test points.’

Boom will be competing for passengers one day with Texas aerospace company, Venus Aerospace, which is also working on a hypersonic jet plane, called Stargazer.

If cleared for commercial travel, the $33 million Venus jet could complete the 3,459-mile trip from London to New York in less than one hour, or around three times as fast as the Concorde (1,354mph).

Stargazer would even be five-times faster than X-59 (937 mph), an upcoming NASA plane that has also been gifted the mantle ‘Son of Concorde’ by some observers.

One of the lead engineers on NASA’s X-59, Peter Coen, however, has scoffed at the nickname, saying the experimental jet is so much more than that.

‘The X-59 is not, I repeat not, the son of Concorde, other than the general wing shape,’ Coen, mission integration manager for NASA’s Quesst mission, told DailyMail.com this past January.

The X-59 will be NASA’s proving ground for ushering in a new era of supersonic flight, he said.

NASA’s ultimate goals for the plane are to develop quieter supersonic flight, bring that technology to passenger planes, and overturn a 50-year Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ban on overland supersonic flights in the US, Coen explained.

The X-59, built by Lockheed Martin for $247.5 million, is the flagship aircraft of the Quesst mission.

‘The features in the X-59 are features that you would see in a future supersonic airliner,’ the engineer said.

These include sculpted, swept-back wings set far back on the craft; a tail that creates lift; and an engine that is mounted high up on the plane, above the wings.

But for now: ‘The X-59 is just a tech demonstrator that is not going to leave US airspace,’ according to Chris Combs, director of the University of Texas at San Antonio’s aerospace engineering program.

‘If it is shown as possible to fly overland without creating noise problems at supersonic speed,’ Combs added, ‘it opens up many more routes for a potential carrier, perhaps making the entire endeavor a more easily justified business venture.’

Related Posts

Fast and Factual LIVE: Hezbollah’s Rocket Barrage Causes Damage Near Tel Aviv, Several Injured

Hezbollah launched approximately 250 projectiles targeting Tel Aviv and southern Israel, marking a significant escalation in hostilities. Israeli Defense Forces conducted airstrikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs, destroying two…

Shocking moment floodwaters gush down streets of market town as emergency service crews urge locals to ‘get back’: Death toll for Storm Bert rises to four 

This is the shocking moment a town centre flooded after a brook rose and caused a wall to collapse amid Storm Bert. The middle of Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire, was seen submerged in water after the nearby Kyre Brook filled up and caused chaos. Rescue workers in the town can be heard urging people to ‘get back’ as the floods dramatically spread.

Alarming reason hurricanes are getting stronger and the states most at risk

An alarming new study obtained by the DailyMail.com outlines why deadly hurricanes in the US are set to become even stronger – with southern states including Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida most at risk. Extreme weather conditions and stronger than usual storms have battered the South over the past six months, with Hurricanes Milton, Helene and Rafael causing devastating damage and leaving hundreds dead. Now, a new study published by Princeton University’s Climate Central has revealed that ‘bath’-temperature water in the Atlantic and Gulf is to blame for the so-called super hurricanes.

Top Democrat slams Pete Hegseth’s military record as Trump’s Defense Secretary nominee comes under fire

Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth slammed President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary Pete Hegseth’s military record as ‘pretty low rank’ as he faces scrutiny for controversial comments he made about women serving in combat. Duckworth, who is a combat veteran who lost both her legs and mobility in one arm serving in Iraq, appeared on CBS News’ Face the Nation where she was asked about the TV personality tapped to head the Pentagon. She said his comments about women in combat show he does not understand where the military is and called him unqualified for the role.

Bishop TD Jakes suffers medical emergency during church sermon as horrified congregation looks on

A celebrity bishop appeared to suffer a medical emergency mid-sermon at his megachurch in Dallas. Bishop TD Jakes, 67, was filmed involuntarily shaking during the ordeal, at The Potter’s House megachurch Sunday. The place of worship has a capacity of about 8,000, and the crowd was seen reacting to Jakes’ episode in real-time.

Aussie teen rages over Sydney property prices

A young Australian has slammed the country’s housing crisis as ‘genuinely ridiculous’ after receiving a flyer from a real estate agency that showcased ordinary properties that all sold for more than $1million. Matt, a 19-year-old from Sydney, expressed his frustration with the state of Australia’s property market after seeing the flyer, which highlighted 53 homes sold in October. The properties were located in suburbs about one hour west of Sydney’s CBD, including Quakers Hill, Box Hill, Blacktown, and Riverstone.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *