Boom Supersonic's XB-1 demonstrator completes second test flight
Boom Supersonic's XB-1 demonstrator completed its second test flight on August 26, 2024, evaluating key systems. The XB-1 precedes the Overture airliner, with production starting by late 2024.
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Boom Supersonic has successfully completed the second test flight of its XB-1 demonstrator aircraft at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California on August 26, 2024. The flight, led by Chief Test Pilot Tristan Brandenburg, focused on evaluating the aircraft's systems, including the landing gear and a digital stability augmentation system known as a roll damper. The flight also utilized tufting to visualize airflow over the right wing for aerodynamic assessment. Blake Scholl, the CEO of Boom Supersonic, expressed pride in the team's efforts to refine the XB-1 following its first flight earlier in the year, which took place on March 22, 2024, reaching an altitude of 7,120 feet and speeds of 238 knots. The XB-1 serves as a precursor to Boom's upcoming Overture airliner, designed to carry 64 to 80 passengers over 4,250 nautical miles at a cruising speed of Mach 1.7. Production of the Overture aircraft is expected to commence at the Overture Superfactory in Greensboro, North Carolina, by the end of 2024.
- Boom Supersonic's XB-1 completed its second test flight on August 26, 2024.
- The flight tested critical systems, including landing gear and stability augmentation.
- The XB-1 is a demonstrator for the future Overture supersonic airliner.
- The Overture is designed to carry 64-80 passengers and fly at Mach 1.7.
- Production of the Overture is set to begin by the end of 2024.
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1 commentsMach 0.4 and less than cruising altitude. That said, its J85 engines are big-boy military turbojets. Given Boom plans “a total of 10-20 flights…before reaching supersonic speeds” [1] that puts earliest supersonic flight around early 2025 [a].
[1] https://boomsupersonic.com/flyby/xb1-prepares-for-first-supe...
[a] 5 months between 1 and 2 and half the time between each succeeding flight until 2x a week steady to 10
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