Twenty-one years after the retirement of Concorde, the skies are about to welcome a new era of supersonic flight. In the Mojave Desert, the Boom XB-1 has just taken a decisive step by reaching Mach 0.95, and proving that the future of commercial aviation is ready to break the sound barrier again.
The Return of Supersonic Flight
Like in Top Gun, but in real life. On January 10, 2025, in the skies of the Mojave Desert, the Boom XB-1 prototype almost broke what was once called the sound barrier. A moment that marks the possible return of commercial supersonic flights, disappeared from our skies with the retirement of the unfortunate (and in my opinion premature) Concorde.
During the 44-minute flight, the Boom XB-1 reached an altitude of 8.986 meters. At the controls was the chief test pilot Tristan “Geppetto” Brandenburg (No, we don’t know if the nickname comes from his ability to make planes “fly” like puppets.) The aircraft reached a transonic speed, that is, so close to the speed of sound that some parts of the airflow around the fuselage actually exceeded it.
During the test, the aircraft withstood a maximum dynamic pressure of 383 knots KEAS (Knots Equivalent Air Speed). In plain English? A pressure on the fuselage and wings greater than what it will experience when flying at Mach 1.1. It's as if the aircraft were already trying on its party dress, to make sure it will fit well when the big day arrives. We are waiting with interest, since we at Futuro Prossimo We have been following the project for 5 years.
Why We Lost Supersonic Flight
It always strikes me as strange to think that for the first time in history, humanity has lost a technological capability instead of acquiring a new one. It's as if we have forgotten how to do something. Concorde retirement in 2003 marked the end of an era, due to a mix of economic and political factors. The old supersonic was no longer sustainable: too expensive, too noisy, too thirsty for fuel. And not only that.
One of the biggest challenges for supersonic flight has always been the infamous sonic boom, that annoying “bang” that would rattle the windows of houses when Concorde passed by. It’s like when the neighbor upstairs decides to do some renovation work, but multiplied by a hundred. With the Boom XB-1, Boom Supersonic is working to eliminate this problem.
Boom XB-1, the next step
The collected data from the company during this flight are crucial. Engineers are analyzing them to decide whether another subsonic test is needed before the big leap: the first supersonic flight, scheduled for this year. If all goes well, we could soon be flying faster than the speed of sound again. New York to London in three and a half hours? Maybe it's not just science fiction anymore.
There is still a long way to go, but this test shows that technology is making great strides. The return of commercial supersonic flights may be closer than we think. And this time, they promise, it will be more sustainable, quieter, and more accessible. The future of aviation is knocking on the door. Or maybe, I should say it's breaking the sound barrier..