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The return of supersonic travel is a step closer after a US company broke the sound barrier with a prototype aircraft.
The XB-1 accelerated to Mach 1.122 over the Mojave Air & Space Port in California on Wednesday morning, in what manufacturer Boom claims is the first piloted supersonic flight of a commercial aircraft since Concorde.
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The XB-1 – or Baby Boom – is a demonstrator version of the larger Overture aircraft that will carry up to 80 passengers. Already, Boom claims to have taken 130 orders, including from customers such as United, American and Japan Airlines.
“The first supersonic jet built from airliner technology, XB-1 incorporates many of the key features found on Overture, such as carbon fiber composites, digital stability augmentation, and an augmented reality vision system for landing visibility,” Boom said.
“Following its inaugural flight in March 2024, XB-1 completed a rigorous series of 11 human-piloted test flights under increasingly challenging conditions to evaluate systems and aerodynamics.
“Over the course of the flight test campaign, the XB-1 team systematically expanded the flight envelope through subsonic, transonic, and supersonic speeds – while taking smart risks and maintaining safety as top priority.”
The Overture features a string of technical innovations designed to give it an advantage over Concorde.
An augmented reality vision system, for example, will help pilots see the runway in front of them without needing to accommodate a moveable nose, while advances in engine technology will allow conventional jet engines to power it from take-off to supersonic flight.
“It has been a privilege and a highlight of my career to be a part of the team that achieved this milestone—every single member of this team was critical to our success,” said Tristan ‘Geppetto’ Brandenburg, the pilot for the flight.
“Our discipline and methodical approach to this flight test program created the safety culture that made a safe and successful first supersonic flight possible. With the lessons learned from XB-1, we can continue to build the future of supersonic travel.”
The original Concorde flew for the first time in 1969 but its reputation never recovered from a fatal crash in 2000 that killed all 109 passengers onboard.
Extortionate ticket prices, problems with noise and competition from a new generation of traditional aircraft led to its early retirement in 2003.
Boom is one of a number of companies working to develop supersonic jets, while NASA is also working on an experimental rival it claims won’t generate a sonic boom.
The aircraft can reduce the sonic boom to a quieter “thump” – compared to slamming a car door – because its tapered nose breaks up the shock waves traditionally created when an aircraft surpasses the sound barrier.
