Tag: Boom Supersonic

Boom Supersonic’s XB-1 Makes 4th Successful Test Flight

Simple Flying reports, “Boom Supersonic conducted a fourth and successful Boom XB-1test flight, this time reaching an altitude of 16,150 feet and a speed of Mach 0.617 (about 313 knots equivalent airspeed) during tests for flutter, g-forces, handling, and landing gear. The proof-of-concept XB-1 is helping educate Boom Supersonic on how to build and test supersonic aircraft in the lead-up to building Boom Overture.”
Full Story (Simple Flying)

Latest Boom Supersonic Test Paves Way for 1st Mach 1 Flight

Aerotime reports Boom Supersonic is “determining whether a 12th test flight of its XB-1 demonstrator is needed before its first attempt at breaking the speed barrier. On January 10, 2025, XB-1 reached speeds of Mach 0.95 during a 44-minute flight over the Mojave Desert with Chief Test Pilot Tristan ‘Geppetto’ Brandenburg at the controls.”
Full Story (Aerotime)

Boom’s XB-1 Achieves Supersonic Flight Milestone

Aviation Week reports, “High-speed airliner developer Boom took a major leap toward the development of its Mach 1.7 Overture transport with the successful supersonic flight of its XB-1 demonstrator, the first independently developed faster-than-sound aircraft. The XB-1, flown by Boom Chief Test Pilot Tristan ‘Geppetto’ Brandenburg, exceeded Mach 1 on three separate occasions during its 12th test flight on Jan. 28, hitting a top speed of Mach 1.12 at around 11 min. 30 sec. into the flight. The aircraft accelerated through the transonic regime while flying at 34,000 ft. in the Mojave Desert’s Black Mountain supersonic corridor within the area’s restricted R-2508 test airspace complex.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
More Info (AIAA Statement)

Boom Supersonic to Livestream XB-1 Test Flight at 10:45 AM

SPACE reports, “Boom Supersonic plans to break the sound barrier during a test flight this morning (Jan. 28). This would mark the first time the company achieves the feat, and you can watch the historic action live. Colorado-based Boom’s XB-1 test vehicle is scheduled to lift off on its 12th test flight from California’s Mojave Air & Space Port today at around 11:00 a.m. EST (1600 GMT; 8 a.m. local California time). If all goes well, the piloted demonstrator craft will exceed Mach 1 — the speed of sound — about 25 minutes later. Boom will webcast the mission live via its website beginning at 10:45 a.m. EST (1545 GMT).”

Watch Live (Boom Supersonic)
Full Story (SPACE)

Boom Prepares XB-1 Demonstrator for Maiden Supersonic Flight

Aviation24.be reports, “The world is on the verge of witnessing a historic moment in aviation. Boom Supersonic, the company pioneering the return of commercial supersonic travel, is preparing for the maiden supersonic flight of its XB-1 demonstrator. After a rigorous program of 11 successful test flights at increasing speeds, XB-1 is poised to break the sound barrier. This groundbreaking event will be livestreamed globally, allowing the public to witness this pivotal moment in aviation history. The livestream is scheduled for January 28, 2025, at 06:45 PST/09:45 EST/14:45 GMT.”
Full Story (Aviation24.be)

Boom XB-1 Technology Demonstrator Getting Closer to Supersonic Milestone

Aviation Week reports, “Boom Supersonic’s XB-1 technology demonstrator probed deeper into the transonic speed regime during its ninth test flight from Mojave Air & Space Port, California, on Dec. 13, paving the way for an attempt to reach and exceed Mach 1, now targeted for early 2025. Piloted by Boom chief test pilot Tristan “Geppetto” Brandenburg, the XB-1 expanded the altitude envelope to over 27,700 ft., continued tests of the Flutter Excitation System (FES), and reached a maximum speed of Mach 0.87.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)

Boom Supersonic, Northrop Grumman to Build High-Speed Emergency Response Military Aircraft

SPACE reports that Boom Supersonic and Northrop Grumman announced Tuesday a collaboration to develop “variants of Boom’s supersonic ‘Overture’ aircraft for military and emergency response.” Boom “emphasized its so-far unproven fleet will be able to support vital missions at high speed, bringing passengers and equipment to critical locations faster than the speed of sound.”
Full Story (SPACE)

How Boom’s XB-1 Went Supersonic Without the Noise

Aerotime reports, “During the demonstration flight on January 28, 2025, the XB-1 broke the sound barrier three times, but not one of those occasions caused an audible sonic boom. ‘This confirms what we’ve long believed,’ says Blake Scholl, founder and CEO of Boom. ‘Supersonic travel can be affordable, sustainable, and friendly to those onboard and on the ground.’ Now, Boom Supersonic has shared more details on the technology behind its quiet supersonic achievement, which it calls ‘Boomless Cruise.’”
Full Story (Aerotime)

Boom Receives FAA Clearance for XB-1 Supersonic Tests

Aviation Week reports, “In what the FAA has termed ‘a major federal action,’ the U.S. aviation regulator has granted Boom permission to conduct supersonic overland tests of the company’s XB-1 demonstrator. The special flight authorization (SFA) is the first ever issued by the FAA for tests of a civil supersonic aircraft, as all non-military aircraft are currently prohibited from operating above Mach 1 over land in the U.S.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)

Boom’s XB-1 Supersonic Demonstrator Takes Flight for First Time

Aviation Week reports, “Boom Supersonic flew its XB-1 demonstrator—the world’s first privately developed faster-than-sound civil aircraft—for the first time at Mojave Air & Space Port, California, on March 22.”  The successful flight “marks a step toward the development of the company’s planned Mach 1.7 Overture airliner later this decade.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)

NASA Photo Captures Boom’s XB-1 Breaking Sound Barrier

CBS News reports, “A little over a month after a civilian jet broke the sound barrier, Boom Supersonic and NASA have released a photo of one of the aircraft’s historic test flights over the Mojave Desert. The image released Monday shows the XB-1 aircraft, which Boom Supersonic said is the “first civil supersonic jet made in America,” during its second supersonic flight on Feb. 10. The company said it partnered with NASA using a technique known as Schlieren photography to visualize what can’t be seen with the naked eye.”
Full Story (CBS News)