‘SON of Concorde’ XB-1 jet is “on track” to break the sound barrier in early 2025, makers of the supersonic plane have announced.
In its first major update of the year, bosses at Colorado-based Boom Technology, confirmed the jet was able to reproduce “transonic” speeds of Mach 0.95 or 575 knots.
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Mach 1 and above is when a jet can be classed as supersonic.
XB-1 reached Mach 0.95 at 32,417ft in a test flight on 19 December, a new speed and altitude record at the time.
The most recent test flight on 10 January saw XB-1 reach near-supersonic speeds again at a max altitude of 29,481ft – slightly higher than Mount Everest.
“Flight 11 again reached a transonic top speed of Mach 0.95, faster than the cruising speed of today’s airliners,” the company said in a flight test update.
READ MORE ON SUPERSONIC JETS
“An aircraft flies transonic when it reaches the range of speeds just below supersonic, which is Mach 1.”
Mach 1 is about 767mph.
The flight, piloted by chief test pilot Tristan Brandenburg, completed the final handling checks ahead of its first supersonic flight.
It’s unclear when the next test flight will be.
The company said it will review Flight 11 to determine whether another test flight is needed before taking XB-1 to supersonic speeds.
The 44-minute flight pushed the jet’s dynamic pressure to 383 KEAS (knots equivalent airspeed), which is higher than what will be experienced at Mach 1.1.
“As an aircraft approaches supersonic speeds, dynamic pressure becomes a key factor – [KEAS] is essentially how hard the plane is pushing through the air,” the company explained in a post on Threads.
“The faster and lower you are, the higher the dynamic pressure, and vice versa.”
At supersonic speeds, the XB-1 jet could feasibly fly passengers from London to New York City in just 3.5 hours.
The flight currently takes roughly 8 hours.
Supersonic vs. Hypersonic
Supersonic and hypersonic are basically one and the same.
Supersonic means faster than the speed of sound.
While hypersonic means specifically five times faster than the speed of sound.
So anything that reaches hypersonic speeds, is also technically supersonic.
But not every supersonic aircraft is hypersonic.
There have been no commercial aircraft capable of supersonic flight since the Concorde.
Aircraft that have reached those speeds have either been experimental planes or fighter jets.
In November, Dawn Aerospace claimed its MK-11 Aurora jet was the first to top supersonic speeds since the Concorde in a test flight – breaking the sound barrier at Mach 1.1.
Supersonic aircraft were banned in the UK more than 20 years ago, because they were deemed too noisy.
The US banned them even earlier, in 1973, because the sonic booms were so loud they made people’s windows rattle.
Supersonic jets were also extremely expensive to operate.
With restricted flight availability, fares were often too high for most customers.
Although there are now an increasing number of companies trying to build supersonic aircraft, with regulators poised to review the bans.
Plans to build even faster hypersonic jets are also rolling off the shelves.
Supersonic and Hypersonic Jets
There are several types of hypersonic and supersonic jets. A breakdown of what’s been happening in the industry and what’s expected in the coming years.
Talon-A
- Built by Stratolaunch
- Reported speeds of Mach 5
- The first test flight conducted in 2024
X-59 Quesst
- Built by Nasa and Lockheed Martin
- Predicted max speeds of Mach 1.4
- The first test flight in 2024 – but subject to delays
Venus Stargazer M4
- Built by Venus Aerospace and Velontra
- Predicted max speeds of Mach 6
- First test flight in 2025
Quarterhorse MKII
- Built by Hermeus
- Predicted max speeds of Mach 2.5
- First test flight in 2026
Halcyon
- Built by Hermeus
- Predicted max speeds of Mach 5
- First test flight by 2030
Nanqiang No 1
- Built by China’s hypersonic plane programme
- Predicted max speeds of Mach 6
- First test flight in 2025
DART
- Built by Hypersonix Launch Systems
- Predicted max speeds of Mach 7
- First test flight in 2025
