Boom Supersonic recently received an experimental airworthiness certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), following a detailed aircraft inspection of its XB-1, technology demonstrator aircraft paving way for flight testing at Mojave Air and Space Port, California.
Earlier this year, XB-1 was moved from the company's hangar in Centennial, Colorado to the Mojave Air & Space Port in Mojave, California to continue preparations for flight. The aircraft has undergone extensive ground testing since arriving, including taxi testing this week.
"The recent progress made towards XB-1's first flight reflects the team's collective efforts to build and safely fly the world's first independently developed supersonic jet," said Blake Scholl, founder and CEO, Boom Supersonic.
"It's fitting that XB-1 is now progressing toward first flight at the Mojave Air & Space Port, home to more than 50 first flights and other significant aviation events," said Bill Shoemaker, chief test pilot, Boom Supersonic. "I'm looking forward to flying XB-1 here, building on the achievements of other talented engineers and pilots who inspire us every day to make supersonic travel mainstream."
XB-1 features a carbon composite and titanium fuselage measuring 71 feet in length. Its ogive (modified delta) wing enables safe operation at take-off and landing as well as supersonic speeds. The three General Electric J85 engines that power XB-1 produce a combined maximum thrust of 12,300 pounds of force (lbf).
The supersonic demonstrator aircraft rolled out of Boom's hangar in Centennial, Colorado in October 2020. Since then, rigorous testing of all of XB-1's internal subsystems has been completed. Upgraded landing gear and supersonic engine intakes were also installed on XB-1, both of which increase performance and safety.
Across its development, XB-1 has validated Boom's approach to airplane design and enabled engineers to leverage advanced tools like computational fluid dynamics (CFD) which are critical components of Overture's development. Overture is the sustainable supersonic airliner from Boom that will fly at Mach 1.7, or about twice the speed of today's fastest airliners, and is designed to run on 100% sustainable aviation fuel.