Civilian jet breaks sound barrier for the first time

The XB-1 civilian jet, developed by the American company Boom Supersonic, has broken the sound barrier for the first time.

This was reported by the portal Space.com.

On the morning of 28 January, Tristan Brandenburg, the company’s chief test pilot, took the XB-1 aircraft into the sky from the Mojave Air and Space Port, located in California. 

Just 11.5 minutes into the flight, at an altitude of approximately 10,668 metres, the aircraft exceeded a speed of Mach 1, becoming the first civilian aircraft to achieve supersonic speed within the continental United States.

Subsequently, the XB-1 reached supersonic speed twice more, approximately 17 and 22 minutes after take-off, allowing the aircraft’s handling to be tested under increased loads.

Boom Supersonic continues to test the technologies used in the XB-1 with the aim of applying them to its future supersonic passenger aircraft, the Overture. 

This aircraft, designed to carry 64 to 80 passengers, is set to become the first civilian aircraft to fly faster than sound since the retirement of the British-French Concorde in 2003.

The Colorado-based company has already received more than 100 pre-orders for the Overture from major airlines around the world.