Boom Supersonic’s XB-1 ‘Baby Boom’ demonstrator aircraft has recorded its fastest ever speed during its fourth test flight signaling further progression towards its quest to reach Mach 1.
Boom Supersonic’s XB-1 is paving the way for the developer’s full-size Overture aircraft by gathering invaluable data and testing state-of-the-art technologies.
According to Boom Supersonic, XB-1 reached a new top speed of Mach 0.617, more than halfway to breaking the sound barrier.
XB-1 completed the record-breaking flight on September 21, 2024, just eight days after its third test flight, in which the developer deployed some new technology for the first time.
“This flight marks the first use of the flutter excitation system (FES) in flight. The FES is a vibration device that we can turn on in order to hit structural vibration modes deliberately before we would encounter them naturally in flight,” a spokesperson for Boom Supersonic said.
Using a flight test technique called a wind up turn, Boom Supersonic took XB-1 up to 2.78g (or g-force).
“When we get to supersonic flight, XB-1 will have to clear a turn at 2g to line up for the supersonic run – the team is testing the aircraft with an extra margin to increase safety,” Boom Supersonic said.
Boom supersonic’s Chief Test Pilot, Tristan Brandenburg, took XB-1 to a maximum altitude of 16,150 feet during the test and recorded a total flight time of 48 minutes.
XB-1 successfully completed its 4th–and fastest–test flight today. Here’s a view from the T-38 chase plane keeping up with XB-1, which reached a max speed of Mach 0.617 (313 KIAS)–more than halfway to breaking the sound barrier at Mach 1.
— Boom Supersonic (@boomaero) September 21, 2024
Read more: https://t.co/6sJqOqCBWn pic.twitter.com/aSa0s5JH3c
Footage of XB-1 in flight was captured by Boom Supersonic’s T-38 chase plane which shadows the aircraft during tests.
Brandenburg, who flew the second and third flights of XB-1, will also pilot the aircraft’s first supersonic flight.
Boom Supersonic also completed landing gear tests by retracting the system at a max speed of 225 knots. During future test flights, the team will retract the landing gear immediately after takeoff.
The XB-1 serves as a demonstrator for Boom’s upcoming Overture airliner. The supersonic passenger jet is poised to seat between 64 and 80 passengers and fly up to 4,250 nautical miles (7,867 kilometers) at a cruising speed of Mach 1.7.
American Airlines, United Airlines, and Japan Airlines have all placed pre-orders for Overture which will run on up to 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
7 comments
This is all so puzzling. American aerospace companies were able to build and test full size supersonic aircraft in the early 1950s then get them into production and service in 2 years. Now it takes a decade or longer just to build a meaningless miniature that does not resemble the design or size of the planned full size aircraft. The engines aren’t the ones that overture will use, the design isn’t even close and they have only been able to achieve a top speed that compares favourably with the Lockheed Electra turboprop airliner of the 1950s. So far it’s all somewhat of a joke, I’m amazed that anyone is still covering Boom. I mean they haven’t even started to build a prototype because they have no engines.
I was going to write something similar and you saved me the trouble. You got it spot on.
@Chris – Some good points. Boom wants to 1) make the planes fuel efficent at 1.7 Mach, and 2) make sure the plane doesn’t create public-hating sonic booms. The engineering around both of those is the challenge. Also this is a VC startup – not the easiest way to build planes.
Amazing that there is anyone in the world dumb enough to believe that this remote controlled toy has anything at all to do with commercial supersonic passenger flights, let alone anyone so stupendously stupid enough to find this absolute garbage. Unless these folks have a way to violate the laws of physics, supersonic air travel is a thing of the past and these greed driven crooks know it.
Shame that some of these comments are so uninformed and cynical. When you’ve got multiple nations throwing funding at a project for prestige, things will go considerably quicker than a startup company with the support of a few airlines and industry players. The FAA has such stringent requirements for any airframe, so there are tons of hurdles to clear. If some of those can be accomplished with a demonstrator, that saves time/money/resources/etc.
To the comment from earlier today, you seem to know the least about what’s going on, with your guess that this is remotely controlled. It’s a manned aircraft intended to get flight envelope data to drive the final design of the commercial product.
Thanks Jared ! That you rightly cleared up every thing .
I was always sad that Concord is one example where we can say that that was technical roll back in the history .3.5 hours to 7 huors again.
I recall a lot of similar negativity when a startup claimed to be able to make a reusable self landing launch vehicle, and all the monolithic aerospace giants said it couldn’t be done.
But that startup is doing it, and the monoliths are barely able to get their conventional designs off the pad.
Unlike the 1950s, modern commercial air travel requires a gross quantity of bureaucratic nonsense. You would not believe the amount of paperwork and fees required to get a simple bolt FAA certified, but an entire airframe? Also, even if you had a billionaire willing to toss money at it, apparently blowing up several airliners during development doesn’t build public trust, even if it provides more usable data faster than any other method.
There are several supersonic startups, only one has a working testbed, and a manufacturing facility.
For the last several years airlines have been expanding their upper class seating because the market is there (I maintain/modify commercial aircraft for a living). The market has proven there are plenty of people willing to pay exorbitant fees to get there in comfort, they will definitely pay to get there in half the time.