Boom Supersonic begins countdown to first attempt at breaking the sound barrier
US-based flight developer Boom Supersonic has begun the final countdown to its first attempt at breaking the sound barrier with its XB-1 demonstrator.
On January 25, 2025, Boom Supersonic declared the start of a five-day countdown to the historic flight, following 11 tests and 22 months of “rigorous testing”.
Announcing XB-1’s first supersonic flight, Boom wrote: “3, 2, 1… Boom The countdown is on. XB-1 will break the sound barrier on its next test flight… Things are about to get really, really fast.”
On its 11th test on January 10, 2025, XB-1 reached speeds of Mach 0.95 during a 44-minute flight over the Mojave Desert.
Boom SupersonicFollowing the flight, Boom was unsure whether an additional sub-supersonic test flight of its XB-1 demonstrator was needed, when CEO Blake Scholl said there were “some GPS and radio issues” that might require ironing out.
However, with the latest announcement it appears the 12th test flight will now be the first in which Boom Supersonic officially plans to hit the magic Mach 1.
According to Boom, Chief Test Pilot Tristan ‘Geppetto’ Brandenburg will “bring XB-1 to a comfortable cruising speed of Mach 1.1 at 34,000 ft” and fly for around 30 to 45 minutes.
Boom said: “We’re targeting no earlier than Jan. 28, 2025, at 6:45am PST/9:45am EST/2:45pm GMT for our most ambitious flight yet. XB-1, the world’s first independently developed supersonic jet, will break the sound barrier in the Bell X-1 Supersonic Corridor and the Black Mountain Supersonic Corridor in Mojave, CA.”
The flight will be livestreamed. Boom Supersonic has created a handy countdown timer, so no-one need miss any of the action.
Boom Supersonic is developing the Overture supersonic passenger aircraft, which will cruise at 1.7 Mach and travel twice as fast over water as any commercial jet.
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The post Boom Supersonic begins countdown to first attempt at breaking the sound barrier appeared first on AeroTime.
US-based flight developer Boom Supersonic has begun the final countdown to its first attempt at breaking the sound…
The post Boom Supersonic begins countdown to first attempt at breaking the sound barrier appeared first on AeroTime.
