Boom Supersonic

[Flyboy]

Boom Supersonic and their XB-1 “Baby Boom” just ran their 12th test flight today, and for the first time they were cleared for, and achieved, Mach 1.1 at 35,000 feet above Edwards Air Force Base this morning.

This mark the first time in more than 20 years that a civilian aircraft has been designed and flown past the speed of sound, and paves the way for further supersonic test flights as they validate the design and models they will use on the much larger Overture supersonic transport.

https://www.twz.com/air/boom-the-xb-1-demonstrator-jet-has-gone-supersonic

 

[berkeman]

Neat. Is that the plane that's supposed to have a reduced sonic boom amplitude, so more friendly to fly over populated land? I wonder if they made any measurements of sound on the ground to start validating that part of the design. Although, since both of the chase jets were also supersonic, maybe they would not be able to gather that data on this flight...

 

[Flyboy]

Neat. Is that the plane that's supposed to have a reduced sonic boom amplitude, so more friendly to fly over populated land? I wonder if they made any measurements of sound on the ground to start validating that part of the design. Although, since both of the chase jets were also supersonic, maybe they would not be able to gather that data on this flight...

Not intended for overland, iirc, more for transoceanic legs. The quiet supersonic test plane is the X-59 QuESST, which is nearing its first flight.

Today was exclusively expanding the flight envelope and proving that it’s safe in the upper transsonic to low supersonic range. Control responses, airframe flutter characterization, air data computer calibration, stuff like that.

 

[boneh3ad]

This is also just a scaled technology demonstrator. Boom intends to build a 64-80 passenger airliner that may or may not incorporate sonic boom mitigation technology used by the X-59 (assuming Boom doesn't fold at some point and the X-59 is successful, of course).