Boom Supersonic’s demonstrator aircraft, XB-1, completed its eighth of ten planned subsonic test flights before testing supersonic flight before the end of 2024.
The test focused on testing the aircraft’s handling qualities without the stability augmentation system (SAS) activated.
During the 54-minute flight, Chief Test Pilot Tristan “Geppetto” Brandenburg safely navigated the XB-1 to a maximum altitude of 25,040 feet (7,632 meters) and a speed of Mach 0.82 (487 knots true airspeed), demonstrating that the aircraft remains controllable at higher speeds even in the event of SAS failure.
“One of the major accomplishments of the XB-1 program was converging on a design that does not rely on computerized augmentation to stay safe in the air, unlike many modern fighter jets that use automated systems to make constant adjustments to the flight path in order to maintain stability,” Boom commented.
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.
