Supersonic Jet Achieves 'Boomless' Flight in Landmark Test

Boom Supersonic's XB-1 jet broke the sound barrier without producing an audible sonic boom, marking a step forward for faster commercial air travel.

Boom Supersonic's XB-1 jet successfully completed its second supersonic test flight on February 10, 2025, reaching speeds exceeding Mach 1.
NASA used Schlieren photography to capture shock waves around the jet, visually confirming the groundbreaking 'boomless' supersonic flight.
Microphones along the flight path confirmed that the sonic boom created by the XB-1 did not reach the ground, thanks to the Mach cutoff technique.
The technology, if scaled, could enable Boom's future Overture airliner to reduce U.S. coast-to-coast flight times by up to 90 minutes.
While the test demonstrates technical feasibility, the economic and regulatory challenges of commercial supersonic travel remain unresolved.