Boom Supersonic’s XB-1 demonstrator aircraft reached Mach 0.617 on its fourth flight, on September 21.
The milestone occurred just eight days after the third flight and raised the flight envelope of the aircraft, which tests the supersonic concept that will be applied to the Overture, a jet that will be capable of flying at Mach 1.7 with up to 80 passengers.
Milestones achieved, in addition to speed, include an altitude of 16,150 feet (4,922 meters), the first use of the flutter excitation system (FES) in flight, the application of elevated g-forces of 2.78g in preparation for supersonic flight, and landing gear retracted/extended at 225 knots.
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Boom Supersonic plans to break the sound barrier by 2024 after completing 10 subsonic flights.
With pilot Tristan “Geppetto” Brandenburg at the controls, the XB-1 remained in the air for 48 minutes, the longest flight to date.
“In addition to checking basic handling qualities of the aircraft at various speeds between 225 and 300 knots, the team took XB-1 up to 2.78g (or g-force), using a flight test technique called a wind up turn to put elevated g-forces on an aircraft,” Boom said.
According to the company, this is the highest it intends to see during XB-1’s flight test program.
