✈️ New aircraft flies at supersonic speed without sonic boom

• XB-1 has completed three supersonic flights without creating an audible sonic boom on the ground, proving that quiet supersonic flight is possible.
• Just as light rays bend when passing through water, sound waves bend when traveling through air with different temperatures.
• Due to the colder temperatures at high altitude, the sound waves make a U-turn in the atmosphere.

The physics behind quiet supersonic flight

When an aircraft breaks the sound barrier at sufficient altitude, the sound waves bend upward in the atmosphere before reaching the ground. This physical phenomenon is called Mach cutoff. Just as light rays bend when passing through water, sound waves bend when traveling through air with different temperatures. Due to the colder temperatures at high altitude, the sound waves make a U-turn in the atmosphere.

On January 28, 2025, the test aircraft XB-1 completed its first supersonic flight. Specially designed microphones placed along the flight path confirmed that no sonic booms reached the ground when the aircraft flew at speeds up to Mach 1.12. Data from the flight was used to validate and improve the algorithms that predict Mach cutoff conditions.

✈️ First privately developed supersonic aircraft reaches Mach 1.1

Boom Supersonic’s demonstration aircraft XB-1 reached a speed of 750 mph (Mach 1.122) at an altitude of 35 000 feet during its first supersonic flight. XB-1 is the first civil supersonic aircraft developed by a private company, without government or military support.

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Technical advances make it possible

To achieve soundless supersonic flight requires engines that can break the sound barrier at very high altitude. Boom Supersonic has developed the Symphony engine specifically for this purpose. The engine provides sufficient power to reach supersonic speed above 30,000 feet.

The aircraft's autopilot has a special "boomless" mode that automatically selects the fastest quiet speed based on real-time weather data. The speed can reach up to Mach 1.3, but usually lies between Mach 1.1 and 1.2.

Shorter travel times and high demand

With the new technology, flight time between U.S. coasts can be reduced by up to 90 minutes. The Overture aircraft will be able to fly 50 percent faster than today's passenger aircraft over land without creating sonic booms.

Boom Supersonic has completed its Overture Superfactory in Greensboro, North Carolina, which will be able to produce 66 aircraft per year. The factory is optimized to build aircraft that can run on up to 100 percent sustainable aviation fuel.

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