From Europe to America in 3 hours: a supersonic jet sets a speed record (video)

The American company Boom Technology has successfully conducted the 11th test of its future supersonic passenger airliner prototype, known as the XB-1. Although one of the objectives of this test was to reach the speed of sound, the supersonic aircraft, while not achieving it, set a new speed record for itself, as reported by Live Science.

The era of passenger supersonic flights ended in 2003 with the last flight of the famous supersonic aircraft "Concorde." However, Boom Technology aims to usher in a new era of supersonic travel with its developing passenger airliner, Overture.

To test all necessary technologies, the company created a significantly smaller prototype of the Overture aircraft, named XB-1. The first test flight of this supersonic plane took place in March 2024, and recently, the 11th test was successfully completed.

During this test, the piloted supersonic aircraft XB-1 reached a speed of 1172 km/h, which is slightly below the speed of sound at 1234 km/h. This marks a new speed record for the aircraft, although it was expected to achieve supersonic speeds and potentially break the sound barrier.

This time, the test was conducted at an altitude of nearly 9000 meters, but future tests will be carried out at higher altitudes, where lower air pressure will enable the achievement of supersonic speed.

The test helped reassess the structural integrity of the supersonic aircraft, as well as its maneuverability and handling. According to representatives of Boom Technology, the XB-1 remains well-controlled at very high flight speeds.

Boom Technology plans to conduct another test flight soon, during which the XB-1 is expected to exceed the speed of sound.

The future passenger supersonic aircraft Overture, which is set to enter service in the early next decade, will be able to carry up to 80 passengers per flight. It is expected that its cruising speed will be approximately 2100 km/h. Considering that current commercial aircraft take an average of 8 hours to fly from Europe to the USA, the supersonic Overture could accomplish this in just 3 hours and 30 minutes.