Current State Of The Supersonic Race At JF we continually follow news pertaining to the civil supersonic race. Over the last few years there have been a number of contenders that have been at varying stages of development of their respective supersonic craft. Not all have made it to current day in 2025. For example there was Aerion who were actively working on the AS2 supersonic aircraft but they exited the race in 2021 having fielded plans and actually broke ground for building a large superfactory in Melbourne, Florida. Currently, there are three notable names in the race, BOOM Supersonic with their XB-1 demonstrator currently in flight testing. The X-59 QueSST by Lockheed Martin and NASA is actively testing as well after the test craft being officially unveiled a year ago (Jan 12, 2024). Not to forget, Hermeus are working on their Quarterhorse demonstrators. Over in China they are working on the Cuantianhou which is envisioned to travel at Mach 4. Leap Aerospace came into the limelight in 2021 with the intention to make a Mach 1.9 commercial aircraft entering service by 2029 but there has been little about this endeavour since then.
BOOM Supersonic has been continuing their work with the XB-1 demonstrator having reached Flight 10 in December 2024 bringing the demonstrator to Mach 0.95 and reaching an altitude of 32,417-feet. During that flight the aforementioned figures formed a new max speed and altitude for the demonstrator allowing them to push further into the transonic range. They are working on clearing additional flutter test points before going supersonic and confirming safe operation at Mach 0.9 with the stability augmentation system off. Completing two successful test flights within a week, XB-1 is steadily progressing toward breaking the sound barrier in early 2025. We anticipate 1-2 additional flights to complete final system checks before XB-1’s supersonic flight.
On the other hand, the X-59 QueSST being developed between NASA and Lockheed Martin. The one-of-kind X-59 demonstrator is conducting vital tests and research that will reduce the loudness of sonic booms down to a gentle thump which in the future will guide new supersonic aircraft's design to permit civil supersonic flight over land. In late December 2024 the X-59 performed maximum afterburner engine run testing. The tests are stepping stones toward the X-59's first test flight expected in early 2025.
Hermeus on the other hand in mid December 2024 announced that the MK1 Quarterhorse had completed its ground testing regime and was readying for the first test flight. This milestone marks the successful integrated testing of all vehicle subsystems as well as the software and hardware in Hermeus’ custom Flight Deck from which Quarterhorse will be remotely piloted. Ground testing culminated in 130-knot (150 mph) taxi tests with full afterburner on Edwards' iconic dry lakebed, offering a valuable opportunity to validate aerodynamic model assumptions, assess the aircraft's directional control, and evaluate the performance of control surfaces, among other things.
Cuantianhou is an upper-end supersonic craft from China that claims to deliver Beijing to New York in 2 hours flying at twice the speed of the last civilian supersonic aircraft, the Concorde. This means Cuantianhou is targeting Mach 4 speeds. Cuantianhou very much resembles the SR-71 Blackbird. First test of the aircraft is expected in the second half of 2025. The prototype will have a length of 11.8 meters, a wingspan of 4.4 meters and a maximum takeoff weight of around 4,500 kilograms. ***
