‘Son of Concorde’ jet soars at supersonic speed for the first time ever paving way toward 3.5 hour London-NYC flights
‘Son of Concorde’ jet soars at supersonic speed for the first time ever paving way toward 3.5 hour London-NYC flights
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THE 'Son of Concorde' XB-1 jet has successfully reached supersonic speeds today, breaking the sound barrier for the first time. The milestone makes the XB-1 the first US-built civil jet to reach supersonic speeds, according to bosses at Colorado-based Boom Technology.
![[XB-1 supersonic aircraft in flight.]](https://www.the-sun.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/01/xb-1-s-historic-first-967332868.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
The supersonic flight was helmed by chief test pilot Tristan “Geppetto” Brandenburg, who has flown all other XB-1 test flights. An aircraft can be deemed supersonic when it tops Mach 1, or 768mph. The XB-1 jet reached Mach 1.1, about 844mph, three times during its latest test flight.
![[Pilot in XB-1 supersonic aircraft cockpit.]](https://www.the-sun.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/01/xb-1-s-historic-first-967333465.jpg?strip=all&w=768)
Such speeds could cut the journey from San Diego to Los Angeles to just 10 minutes, according to former chief Concorde pilot at British Airways, Mike Bannister, who was on the ground to witness the inaugural supersonic flight. The aircraft was closely followed by a Mirage F1 jet for monitoring, and a T-38 chase plane to capture footage.
![[Illustration of XB-1 supersonic test flight path.]](https://www.the-sun.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/01/boomsupersonic-com-flyby-xb-1-967344779.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Today's supersonic flight lays the groundwork for Boom's Overture aircraft, which also aims to reach Mach 1.7. At supersonic speeds, Overture could fly passengers from London to New York City in just 3.5 hours - a flight that currently takes roughly 8 hours on a standard commercial carrier.
![[XB-1 supersonic aircraft in flight above clouds.]](https://www.the-sun.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/01/xb-1-s-historic-first-967332986.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
XB-1's most recent test flight - the jet's fastest yet - was conducted in the Bell X-1 Supersonic Corridor near Edwards Air Force Base in Mojave, California. That is the same airspace where Chuck Yeager became the first person to fly faster than the speed of sound in 1947, in his Bell X-1 plane.
