Boom Supersonic’s XB-1 demonstrator became the first manned civilian aircraft to break the sound barrier since the end of the Concorde era.
The aircraft took off from the Mojave Air and Space Port (MHV), California, at 8.22am local time on January 28, 2025, and headed towards a reserved airspace section over the Mojave Desert which had been previously approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the purpose of this test.
In command of XB-1 was Tristan “Geppetto” Brandenburg, an experienced test pilot and former naval aviator and United States Naval Test Pilot School graduate.
During its flight, which went supersonic around 11 minutes and 30 seconds after take-off, XB-1 was followed by two chase aircraft, a Dassault Mirage F1 and a Northrop T-38 Talon equipped with high-definition cameras and other specialized data-collecting equipment.
This was the 12th test flight performed by the XB-1 out of Mojave. The aircraft went supersonic three times before landing back at the departure airfield.
The XB-1 touched down at 8.55am local time after just over 33 minutes in the air.
The flight was broadcast live on several social media platforms and became the most tracked flight globally on Flightradar24.
Boom Supersonic aims to bring back supersonic air travel through the development of a clean-sheet supersonic airliner, which it calls Overture. This supersonic jet is expected to accommodate 64 to 80 passengers and cover distances of up to 4,250 nautical miles (7,867 kilometers) at a cruising speed of Mach 1.7.
Boom reports an order book of 130 aircraft, including commitments and pre-orders from prominent airlines such as American Airlines, Japan Airlines, and United Airlines.
