Demonstrator Aircraft Set to Break the Sound Barrier on January 28

On its journey to restoring supersonic commercial air travel, Boom has confirmed that its XB-1 demonstrator aircraft is ready to break the sound barrier for the first time. The event will be livestreamed on January 28.

The Boom XB-1 took its maiden flight in March of 2024, climbing up to a maximum altitude of 7,120 feet and speeds up to 238 knots for initial checks. The test campaign continued throughout the year with steadily increasing heights and airspeeds, monitoring the aircraft’s stability and handling qualities at each record unlocked.

Flight 11 took place on January 10. The aircraft, controlled by Chief Test Pilot Tristan “Geppetto” Brandenburg, reached transonic speeds of Mach 0.95 and an altitude of 29,481 ft during its 44-minute flight. The primary focus of Flight 11 was expanding dynamic pressure to 383 knots equivalent airspeed (KEAS). This is the highest dynamic pressure the aircraft will ever experience, far exceeding what is anticipated during XB-1’s first supersonic flight.

After taking some time to assess the aircraft’s readiness, Boom has determined that the XB-1 is prepared to go supersonic. The historic flight will take place over Mojave, California in the same airspace that Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier for the first time in the Bell X-1 almost 80 years ago.

Boom has tentatively scheduled the supersonic flight for January 28 at 6:45 am PST pending mission safety and weather factors. It will last around 30 to 45 minutes, reaching 34,000 ft and holding up to Mach 1.1 for approximately 4 minutes at a time. Brandenburg will again be taking the controls for Flight 12.

The event will be accessible through a livestream hosted by Mike Bannister, former Chief Concorde Pilot for British Airways who flew nearly 7,000 hours at supersonic speeds.

“Even people who have flown supersonic hundreds of times never stop getting excited about it,” Bannister expressed.

The XB-1 is Boom’s one-third-scale demonstrator for its future supersonic commercial aircraft, the Overture. It is expected to cruise at Mach 1.7 for a maximum range of 4250 NM while carrying 64-80 passengers.

FMI: www.boomsupersonic.com