XB-1 Demonstrator Breaks Sound Barrier Today, January 28th is the day that BOOM Supersonic with one of their XB-1 demonstrator aircraft officially broke the sound barrier. It is the first civil supersonic jet made in America. The XB-1 demonstrator that took part in the supersonic test flight was N990XB and was done with special permission from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
BOOM Supersonic livestreamed the entire event and the exact moment when the aircraft went supersonic was seen below at MACH 1.05. In this mission, XB-1 was expected to climb to an altitude of 34,000 feet and reach speeds of Mach 1.1. At the controls was Boom’s Chief Test Pilot Tristan “Geppetto” Brandenburg.
Boom’s XB-1 demonstrator is the first independently developed supersonic jet, and the first civil supersonic jet built in America. Since XB-1 first flew in March of 2024, it has been through a rigorous program of 11 test flights at steadily increasing speeds. Overall to this point it has been approximately 22 months of ground and flight testing.
The live stream on YouTube was also made possible by Starlink which was carried by the T-38 chase plane. That enabled everyone to watch XB-1 in-flight with a one-of-a-kind air-to-air view that normally is not seen live. Usually you would have to wait for the company to edit video and then upload for subsequent viewing. The livestream was hosted by former Chief Concorde Pilot for British Airways, Mike Bannister. No one knows supersonic travel better than Bannister, who flew almost 7,000 supersonic hours in the Concorde. For more information: BOOM Supersonic Centennial Airport, Dove Valley, Colorado ***