Supersonic air transport, which has disappeared from radar since the shutdown of the Concorde in 2003, may be preparing to be reborn in a completely new form. American startup Boom Supersonic is an aerospace company whose main goal is to make air travel faster by creating planes capable of flying at speeds greater than the speed of sound, more than 1,235 km/h.
Their demonstrator aircraft, the XB-1 (which can be seen in the video below), presented in 2020, has just been smash his altitude and speed record during its eighth test flight.
Mach 1 objective
On November 16, the XB-1 reached a new milestone by reaching an altitude of 7,632 meters during a 54-minute flight. The aircraft maintained its top speed at Mach 0.82, or approximately 1,000 km/h. Even though it is significantly slower than the Concorde, whose cruising speed was Mach 2.02, or approximately 2,145 km/h, this performance represents a very important milestone for the company.
This means that Boom Supersonic has made her baby mature a lotwhich, just four years ago, only reached 439 km/h at an altitude of 2,170 m. Since its first supersonic flight in 2024, the test program has been proceeding methodically: two additional subsonic flights are planned before the big leap, the long-awaited crossing of the sound barrier.
The supersonic boom challenge
Are commercial supersonic flights once again in the crosshairs? It seems so: NASA, too, is currently working on the X-59 (and supporting other new generation aviation projects), a device with a slim design. The goal is that this does not cause supersonic boom.
This bangis the intense noise produced by an aircraft when it exceeds the speed of sound, creating a large shock wave perceptible on the ground. Its intensity varies depending on the aircraft and atmospheric conditions, but it can reach levels of 90 to 110 decibels, comparable to the noise of an airliner taking off. The X-59 should therefore be much quieter, and when it breaks the sound barrier, its noise should be equivalent to that of a slamming door.
Boom Supersonic is also developing another airliner project: Overture, which will fly at Mach 0.94or slightly below the sound barrier. This nevertheless remains 20% faster than current commercial aircraft, whose cruising speed is around 800 to 920 km/h (Mach 0.85).
The future of civil supersonic flight will certainly be decided in the coming years or the next decade. The FAA Federal Aviation Administration) could review its position from 2027after a test campaign of the X-59 over several American cities. Indeed, the agency adopts a very restrictive position regarding supersonic flights over populated areas in the United States. The supersonic boom is prohibited due to the noise pollution it generates, but if the X-59 manages to pass it silently, it could therefore authorize, under certain conditions, commercial supersonic flights over land.
- Boom Supersonic and NASA are developing aircraft capable of exceeding the speed of sound while limiting noise pollution.
- Boom’s demonstrator aircraft reached an altitude of 7,632 meters and Mach 0.82 on its eighth test flight.
- If the X-59 tests are successful, the FAA could authorize civilian supersonic flights over land as early as 2027.
