A ‘Son of Concorde’ that could enable passengers to travel from London to New York in under four hours is about to take off. NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft is undergoing final safety tests before making its maiden flight. The aircraft is projected to fly at Mach 1.5, or approximately 1,590kph, meaning it could potentially fly nonstop from the UK’s capital to the Big Apple in approximately three hours and 44 minutes. Normal commercial flights generally take around seven hours to make the transatlantic trip.
The aircraft is designed to fly supersonic while generating a quiet thump rather than a loud sonic boom, a noise problem that has made such planes unsuitable for flying over populated areas. The X-59 is being tested at US Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, where safety systems are under evaluation. Its first flight will be a lower altitude loop at about 390kph to check system integration, kicking off a phase of testing focused on verifying the aircraft’s airworthiness and safety.
During subsequent test flights, the X-59 will go higher and faster, eventually exceeding the speed of sound.
In 2023, NASA investigated the business case for supersonic passenger air travel aboard aircraft that could theoretically travel between Mach 2 and Mach 4.
Data gathered by the one-seater aircraft will be shared with US and international regulators to inform the establishment of new, data-driven acceptable noise thresholds related to supersonic commercial flight over land.
NASA said: “As NASA’s one of-a-kind X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft approaches first flight, its team is mapping every step, from taxi and take off to cruising and their decision-making is guided by safety.”
The NASA model is being rivalled by China, which earlier this year unveiled an aircraft it claims could reduce the flight time between London and New York to less than three hours.
State-owned firm Comac says its C949 supersonic jet will fly 1.6 times faster than the speed of sound, and will be able to travel a breathtaking 11,000km per trip.
If the plans materialise and the striking-looking plane hits the market, China believes it could rival NASA in the supersonic commercial jet market, which has been dormant since the British and French-made Concorde was retired in 2003.
Concorde enabled incredibly quick transatlantic travel, cruising at over Mach 2. However, the iconic aircraft was hampered by various factors, including the high cost of fuel and limited routes due to concerns over the roaring sonic boom it produced.
Reports in China suggest the C949’s boom could be brought down to a mere 83.9 perceived level in decibels, equivalent to the noise produced by a standard hairdryer, as reported by The Mirror.
However, despite being quieter and having a range more than twice that of the Concorde, it’s only expected to have a capacity of between 28 and 48 passengers, compared to Concorde’s 100.
According to The South China Morning Post, officials hope it will rival US efforts to crack quieter commercial supersonic travel.
Plans for the plane came to light in March, but Comac doesn’t anticipate the planes entering service until 2049.