Experimental ‘Quiet’ 925mph Nasa Jet Dubbed ‘Flying Swordfish’ Paves Way For Supersonic Holidays After Historic Take-Off

Late last month, Nasa’s so-called “Flying Swordfish” blasted off from California – promising 925mph flights without a sonic boom – and aviation experts say that it could change the face of holiday travel.

Nasa and Lockheed Martin’s X-59 quiet supersonic plane has taken offCredit: Lockheed Martin

Concorde famously offered high-speed flights across the Atlantic.

But the sound of the sonic boom has always been a major block to allowing commercial supersonic flights over land.

To combat this problem, Nasa and Lockheed Martin have been developing an experimental X-59 aircraft that doesn’t create a sonic boom.

Instead it creates a sonic “thump”, which is 75PLdB (perceived decibel level) – or “about as loud as a car door closing”.

“From takeoff at our Skunk Works’ Palmdale facility to landing at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center, everything performed exactly as planned,” Lockheed Martin said.

“The X-59 moved with the kind of confidence that comes from years of innovation, teamwork and cutting-edge solutions.

“This flight isn’t just a milestone – it’s momentum.

“We’re proving that the future of flight can be faster and quieter than ever before. And we’re proud to be leading the charge.”

The jet is just shy of 100 feet long, and is capable of reaching Mac 1.4 speeds of 925mph.

And it cruises at around 55,000 feet, which is far higher than a typical jet that would fly at altitudes of between 30,000 and 45,000 feet.

It has a wingspan of roughly 30 feet, stands about 14 feet tall, and has been branded the “Flying Swordfish” in science media due to its shape.

And that design is no accident: it’s specifically designed to allow for “quiet supersonic” flight.

“In collaboration with NASA’s Quesst Mission, the Lockheed Martin Skunk Works team is solving one of the most persistent challenges of supersonic flight – the sonic boom,” Lockheed Martin explained.

“The X-59 will be used to collect community response data on the acceptability of a quiet sonic boom generated by the unique design of the aircraft.

“The data will help NASA provide regulators with the information needed to establish an acceptable commercial supersonic noise standard to lift the ban on commercial supersonic travel over land.

“This breakthrough would open the door to an entirely new global market for aircraft manufacturers, enabling passengers to travel anywhere in the world in half the time it takes today.”

Lockheed Martin wants to fly the plane over populated areas to prove to “US and international regulators” that supersonic flight over land doesn’t need to be a major disturbence.

And the aerospace giant says that it “could bring us one step closer to quiet supersonic travel for passengers around the globe”.

The shape of the aircraft is designed to reduce the loudness of a sonic boom to a “gentle thump” – at least as you hear it on the ground.

The X-plane does this by separating the shock waves that produce the sonic booms to make them quieter.

“The resulting supersonic ‘heartbeat’ is dramatically quieter than the disruptive N-wave boom generated by today’s supersonic aircraft”, Lockheed Martin said.

Sadly, it’s still unclear how long it will take for over-land supersonic commercial flights to become a reality.

Nasa and Lockheed Martin will need to conduct more tests to give flight watchdogs enough info to make a decision on their regulations.

And once those types of flights are approved, it will still take time for commercial aircraft to be built using a quiet supersonic design and then adopted by airlines.

https://www.the-sun.com/author/sean-keach/

'New Concorde' Designed To Cut US To UK flight Time To 45 Minutes And Travel Seven Times Faster Than Speed Of Sound

The A-HyM Hypersonic Air Master is a 170-passenger airliner concept designed to fly at over 5,600 mph and could cut the typical seven-hour London-New York journey to just 45 minutes.

The A-HyM Hypersonic Air Master would break the sound barrier

A revolutionary hypersonic airliner, the A-HyM Hypersonic Air Master, could slash London-New York flight times to a mere 45 minutes.

This groundbreaking aircraft is set to revolutionize air travel by flying at Mach 7.3-over 5,600 mph. Designed to carry 170 passengers, it could reduce the transatlantic journey from the usual seven hours, making transatlantic travel quicker than ever before.

In comparison, Concorde typically flew from London to New York in just under three and a half hours, compared to about eight hours on a subsonic flight. It comes after the TSA revealed a new list of 16 items that are banned from passengers' checked bags.

Spanish designer Oscar Viñals says the A-HyM would cruise at an altitude of 30,000 meters, far above conventional jets, using advanced heat-resistant materials like titanium and carbon fiber to withstand temperatures up to 1,832°F.

Its innovative Sonic Boom Mitigation System aims to reduce the disruptive noise of breaking the sound barrier, potentially allowing supersonic and even hypersonic flights over land without disturbing communities below, reports the Mirror.

Powered by a next-generation hydrogen-fueled combined-cycle engine, the aircraft would blend turbojet, ramjet, and oblique detonation technologies for both speed and eco-friendliness.

The A-HyM Hypersonic Air Master is made of heat-resistant materials like titanium and carbon fiber

Inside, passengers would enjoy spacious, comfortable cabins equipped with virtual panoramic windows and advanced entertainment systems designed to handle the unique conditions of hypersonic flight.

The A-HyM, a concept aircraft, is showcasing how advancements in materials science, propulsion systems, and aerodynamics are making ultra-fast and sustainable global travel more feasible than ever.

Oscar Viñals, the visionary behind the project, said: "This aircraft concept would allow its users not only to experience a unique flight at dizzying speeds in excellent conditions, but it would also allow them to "master" time, because a trip, for example, from London to Los Angeles would only take an hour and a half, from boarding at Heathrow international airport to disembarking at LAX (Los Angeles International Airport)."

But the team behind the A-HyM isn't alone in chasing the dream of commercial supersonic flight. In January, the Boom supersonic jet - often referred to as the 'new Concorde' - officially broke the sound barrier.

Boom, a Colorado-based company, launched its XB-1 test plane from California's Mojave Air and Space Port for a test flight in January. The plane reached a speed of Mach 1.1, or 844 miles per hour, while flying at about 35,000 feet.

A plane is considered 'supersonic' once it surpasses Mach 1. The Boom XB-1 is the first civil supersonic jet made in the US to break the sound barrier.

The challenge of breaking through the sound barrier, and the loud bang that occurs when planes do, is part of why super-fast air travel has been difficult to achieve from a business perspective.

As stunning and iconic as the Concorde's curved delta wing shape was, it had a fundamental flaw that led to its eventual retirement. Breaking the sound barrier creates a massive sonic boom that can wreak havoc on the ground below.

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Independently Funded Jet’s Sound Barrier Mark Revives Talk Of Commercial Supersonic Travel With Pre-Orders From American Airlines And United Airlines

An aircraft developed by Boom Supersonic became the first independently funded jet to break the sound barrier this week. The XB-1 aircraft accelerated to Mach 1.05 at about 35,000 feet during a test flight Tuesday in the same Mojave Desert airspace in California where Charles “Chuck” Yeager was the first person to break the sound barrier in 1947.

The Boom Supersonic’s XB-1 aircraft breaks the sound barrier, Mach 1, during a test flight Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, over the Mohave Desert, Calif. (Boom Supersonic via AP)

Here’s a look at the flight and the history of supersonic travel:

Why was the Boom Supersonic flight significant?

It was a step toward reviving supersonic commercial travel, which has been on hiatus since the Concorde jet was grounded more than two decades ago.

Boom Supersonic has contracts with at least two airlines to buy their commercial airliners once they are developed. Several companies are working to come up with new supersonic jets that would be more fuel efficient — and create fewer climate-changing emissions — than the Concorde.

Boom’s founder and CEO Blake Scholl says the flight “demonstrates that the technology for passenger supersonic flight has arrived.”

What aircraft was used?

The test aircraft was made with lightweight carbon fiber and uses an augmented reality vision system to help with landing due to its long nose.

Boom, based in Denver, plans to use the technology to build its Overture commercial airliner, which the company says could carry as many as 80 passengers while traveling faster than the speed of sound. The jets would be built in North Carolina.

The company has said the engine it’s developing for the Overture will have 35,000 pounds of thrust and is designed to run on sustainable aviation fuel.

What’s the future of commercial supersonic travel?

American Airlines and United Airlines have pledged to buy jets from Boom Supersonic. Boom said last year it has orders for 130 aircraft, which include orders and pre-orders.

Those commercial flights could be limited to ocean crossings or would have to slow down over land to limit damage from forceful sonic booms, which can rattle buildings on land.

NASA is looking at developing a craft with a softer boom, and Boeing is also working on a prototype for supersonic commercial travel.

Any new such service will likely face the same hurdles as the Concorde, which flew over the Atlantic and was barred from many overland routes because of the sonic booms it caused.

What happened to the Concorde?

The Concorde jet, which was grounded in 2003, was the only supersonic commercial airliner that ever flew, and had its maiden flight in 1969.

At the time it was considered a technological marvel and a source of pride in Britain and France, whose aerospace companies joined forces to produce the plane.

The plane holds the record for the fastest transatlantic crossing by a passenger aircraft — 2 hours, 52 minutes and 59 seconds from London’s Heathrow Airport to New York’s Kennedy Airport.

But the Concorde never went mainstream, due to challenging economics and its sonic booms that led it to be banned on many overland routes. Only 20 were built, 14 of which were used for passenger service.

A deadly crash more than two decades ago hastened the jet’s demise. On July 25, 2000, an Air France Concorde crashed into a hotel and exploded shortly after takeoff in Paris, killing all 109 people on board and four on the ground. Investigators determined that the plane ran over a metal strip, damaging a tire that crashed into the underside of the wing, rupturing a fuel tank.

By DYLAN LOVAN