First Independently Developed U.S. Jet Breaks The Sound Barrier

A sleek white aircraft has become the first independently developed jet to break the sound barrier, soaring tens of thousands of feet above the Mojave Desert as a crowd of delighted onlookers watched, Hallie Golden reported for the Associated Press (AP).

Boom Supersonic's XB-1, which first flew in March, is made almost entirely from lightweight carbon fiber. I Photo: Boom Supersonic

The XB-1 aircraft accelerated to Mach 1.05 within about 11 minutes of takeoff, according to Boom Supersonic and live video of the test flight.

The flight, conducted at the Mojave Air & Space Port in Mojave, California, marks a key step in the company’s effort to revive supersonic passenger travel, which ended more than two decades ago with the grounding of the Anglo-French Concorde.

The XB-1, which first flew in March, is made almost entirely from lightweight carbon fiber. It features an augmented reality vision system to aid in landing, as its long nose and high-angle approach make forward visibility challenging for pilots.

Boom Supersonic now plans to focus on developing the Overture airliner, which it says will carry up to 80 passengers at roughly twice the speed of today’s commercial jets.

“XB-1’s supersonic flight demonstrates that the technology for passenger supersonic travel has arrived,” Boom founder and CEO Blake Scholl said in a statement. “A small band of talented and dedicated engineers has accomplished what previously took governments and billions of dollars.”