A civil plane broke the sound barrier for the first time on Tuesday while performing a historical test flight on the Mojave desert.
The XB-1 plane, manufactured by Boom Supersonic, was piloted by Tristan “Geppetto” Brandenburg, the company He said in a press release. The plane, nicknamed “Baby Boom”, took off from the port of Mojave Air and Space and reached an altitude of 35,290 feet before accelerating to Mach 1.122, said the company. That speed is equivalent to 750 miles per hour.
It marks the first time that a developed plane has independently broken the sound barrier, said Boom Supersonic, and the plane is the “first supersonic plane made in the United States.” The sound barrier first broke in 1947, when Captain Chuck Yeager Air Force Pilot An experimental plane powered by rockets flew through the Mojave desert, taking off from the air of air and mojave space as the XB-1 did.
Supersonic boom
Before today’s barrier break, the XB-1 underwent 11 test flights. The plane includes characteristics such as an increased reality system to facilitate takeoff and landing and has a long nose that facilitates the pilots to see the track during those stages. The aerodynamics of the plane is based on thousands of simulations, said the company, creating a design that says “combines safe and stable operation in takeoff and landing efficiently at supersonic speeds.” The jet is also performed almost completely from compound materials of carbon fiber, which create a “strong and light structure.”
Then, the company will focus its attention on the overture, a supersonic plane that will finally “bring the benefits of supersonic flight to all,” said the founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic, Blake Scholl, in a statement. The XB-1 Jet will be the basis of the overture, said Boom Supersonic, and many characteristics present on the plane will also be incorporated into the supersonic plane. The plane will also use the Boom Supersonic, Symphony propulsion system, to function with “up to 100% sustainable aviation fuel.”
Supersonic boom
The company said that the target of the plane is to transport between 64 and 80 passengers in Mach 1.7, or approximately 1,295 miles per hour. The existing subson planes fly between 550 and 600 miles per hour, according to Charter Bitux company.
“It has been a privilege and the highlight of my career to be part of the team that achieved this milestone,” said Pilot Brandenburg on Tuesday.
They have been requested in orders of 130 overture planes, said the company. The airlines, including American Airlines, United Airlines and Japan Airlines, have made early orders. The company finished building a “Superfative” in North Carolina in 2024, and will eventually produce 66 aircraft per year.