Boom Supersonic is inching closer to achieving supersonic flight with its XB-1 demonstrator as test-flights continue over the Southern California desert.
During its 10th test-flight at Mojave Air & Space Port, XB-1 reached speeds of Mach 0.95 – considered “transonic” speed, or the transitional speed between subsonic and supersonic flight.
“An aircraft enters the transonic regime when flying between approximately Mach 0.8 and Mach 1.2,” the start-up says.
Flown by chief test pilot Tristan Brandenburg, the test jet set also set its new high-altitude mark at 32,417ft during the 46min sortie on 19 December.
The flight confirmed “safe operation at Mach 0.9 with the stability augmentation system off”, Boom says, ”confirming that the pilot can safely control the aircraft at higher speeds even in the unlikely event of a stability augmentation system failure”.
XB-1’s latest test flight saw the aircraft surpass the cruising speeds of Airbus A380s and Boeing 787s, which is significant in that Boom aspires to disrupt the commercial market with a conceptual passenger jet called Overture.
The test article first took off in March, with a subsequent second flight delayed as engineers equipped the aircraft with a “roll-stability augmentation system”.
Boom anticipates that XB-1 will complete one or two more test-flights with “final system checks” before attempting to fly at supersonic speeds early in 2025.
XB-1’s flight trials are intended to inform Boom’s design of Overture, which is to carry 64-80 passengers and fly at Mach 1.7.
