Boom Supersonic's XB-1 jet achieved a top speed of Mach 1.122, breaking the sound barrier for the first time and marking a significant development in independent supersonic aviation. With earlier test flights reaching Mach 0.95, this momentous achievement reflects Boom's long-term vision for the Overture, a passenger aircraft designed to fly 80 passengers across the Atlantic in 3.5 hours by 2030. However, the excitement is tempered by historical challenges faced by supersonic jets, including the tragic Air France crash in 2000 and operational costs that led to the Concorde's demise.
"We are so back," Boom founder and CEO Blake Scholl posted to X following the flight.
This milestone has been a long time coming. Whispers of a second age of supersonic jets have long echoed through the halls of the airline industry.
Though even prior to that accident, the Concorde aircraft had its flaws. As our correspondent Josh Sims reported last August, both the cost of fueling that supersonic jet and the noise it made played major roles in its downfall.
When an aircraft approaches the speed of sound - at 767 mph - pressure disturbances build up in waves around it and, rather than pass around the fuselage sequentially as they might at sub-sonic speeds, begin to bunch up together.
Collection
[
|
...
]