Civilian jet breaks sound barrier during historic test flight over Mojave Desert
Daily News Article — Posted on January 29, 2025
(by Kerry Breen, CBS News) – A civilian jet broke the sound barrier for the first time Tuesday while making a historic test flight over the Mojave Desert.
The XB-1 aircraft, manufactured by Boom Supersonic, was piloted by Tristan “Geppetto” Brandenburg, the company said in a news release. The plane, nicknamed “Baby Boom,” took off from Mojave Air and Space Port and reached an altitude of 35,290 feet before accelerating to Mach 1.122, the company said. That speed is equivalent to 750 miles per hour.
It marks the first time an independently developed jet has broken the sound barrier, Boom Supersonic said, and the plane is the “first supersonic jet made in America.” The sound barrier was broken for the first time in 1947, when Air Force pilot Capt. Chuck Yeager flew a rocket-propelled experimental aircraft across the Mojave Desert — taking off from the Mojave Air and Space Port just as the XB-1 did.
Before today’s sound barrier-breaking flight, the XB-1 underwent 11 test flights. The aircraft includes features like an augmented reality system to make takeoff and landing easier and has a long nose that makes it easier for pilots to see the runway during those stages. The jet’s aerodynamics are based off thousands of simulations, the company said, creating a design that it says “combines safe and stable operation at takeoff and landing with efficiency at supersonic speeds.” The jet is also made almost entirely from carbon fiber composite materials, which create a “strong, lightweight structure.”
The company will next focus its attention on Overture, a supersonic airliner that will ultimately “bring the benefits of supersonic flight to everyone,” Boom Supersonic founder and CEO Blake Scholl said in a statement. The XB-1 jet will be the foundation for Overture, Boom Supersonic said, and many features present on the jet will also be incorporated into the supersonic airliner. The airliner will also use Boom Supersonic’s bespoke propulsion system, Symphony, to run on “up to 100% sustainable aviation fuel.”
The company said the goal for the plane is for it to be able to carry between 64 and 80 passengers at Mach 1.7, or about 1,295 miles per hour. Existing subsonic airliners fly at between 550 and 600 miles per hour, according to charter company Bitlux.
“It has been a privilege and a highlight of my career to be a part of the team that achieved this milestone,” Pilot Brandenburg said on Tuesday.
About 130 Overture planes have been pre-ordered, the company said. Airlines including American Airlines, United Airlines and Japan Airlines have placed pre-orders. The company finished building a “superfactory” in North Carolina in 2024, and will eventually produce 66 planes per year.
[Blake Scholl founded Boom Supersonic in September 2014 with the goal of making high-speed travel mainstream…. After seeing Concorde in a museum, he dreamed of the return of commercial supersonic flight. Read about Boom Supersonic founder and CEO Blake Scholl.]Published at CBS News. Reprinted here for educational purposes only. May not be reproduced on other websites without permission.
Background
Supersonic aircraft
Supersonic aircraft have been used for research and military purposes, but only two supersonic aircraft have ever been used for commercial passenger service: the Tupolev Tu-144 (first flown on December 31, 1968) and the Concorde (first flown on March 2, 1969).
Tupolev Tu-144: The first supersonic transport (SST), the Tupolev Tu-144 first flew in 1968. It was the first SST to enter service, but it was also the first to leave service due to safety concerns. The Tupolev Tu-144 stopped commercial passenger flights in 1978 after a crash, and its final flight was in 1999.
Concorde: The Concorde was a joint venture between British and French aircraft manufacturers. It first flew in 1969 and entered commercial service in 1976. The Concorde was known for its short transit times, such as New York to London in just over three hours. However, it was expensive to operate and created a loud sonic boom.
The Concord's only competitor was the Tupolev Tu-144, carrying passengers from November 1977 until a May 1978 crash, while a potential competitor, the Boeing 2707, was cancelled in 1971 before any prototypes were built.
On July 25, 2000, Air France Flight 4590 crashed shortly after take-off with all 109 occupants and four on the ground killed. This was the only fatal incident involving Concorde; commercial service was suspended until November 2001. The Concorde's last commercial flight was in October 2003. The surviving aircraft were retired in 2003, 27 years after commercial operations had begun. (Compiled from wikipedia)
Future of supersonic travel:
Several companies are working on supersonic aircraft, including:
Boom Technology: A private company working on the Overture, a sustainable supersonic airliner
NASA and Lockheed Martin: Working on the X-59 aircraft, which is designed to limit sonic booms
(from a google search on supersonic commercial airliners, Generative AI is experimental)