The plan is to allow flights over populated areas
The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Lockheed Martin expect to fly the experimental X-59 supersonic aircraft before the end of the year.
«X-59 is a supersonic vehicle. But this is an experimental jet with a needle nose and a radical design. It will fly at the end of the year to test whether it is possible to make supersonic flights without the rumble of a sonic boom and, accordingly, fly over populated areas, said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, speaking at a hearing of the US Senate Appropriations Committee.
Speaking of the noise that the X-59 is expected to make in flight, Bill Nelson said: “It will be a muffled roar.”
«Silent» The X-59 supersonic aircraft, which is being created as part of the Questst program, due to its design, should not emit a characteristic pop when moving at speeds above the speed of sound. The developers and NASA believe that after the tests it will be possible to lift the ban on flights over land of commercial supersonic aircraft, introduced 50 years ago in the USA and other countries.
The creators of the X-59 emphasize that this is an experimental supersonic aircraft, and not just a prototype. Its tests will collect data for the development of future generations of supersonic passenger airliners. An aircraft about 30 m long with a wingspan of almost 9 m can reach a speed of 1488 km/h, which is higher than the speed of sound (1234.8 km/h).
After the start of such flights, they will begin to collect data on what sound it makes when moving and how the population reacts to it.