Lockheed Martin Skunk Works has rolled out the X-59, an experimental aircraft reportedly designed to minimise the impact of sonic booms.
John Clark, Vice President and General Manager at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, commented on the collaboration with NASA, stating, “We’re thrilled to take on this challenge alongside NASA, whose quiet supersonic technology mission will have lasting, transformational impacts for people around the world, according to our expectations. This project is just one example of the broader ingenuity of our industry as we continually strive to push the envelope of what’s possible.”
Greg Ulmer, Executive Vice President at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, acknowledged the joint efforts, saying, “The entire X-59 team leaned into the expertise of both legendary organizations, NASA and Lockheed Martin, to ensure success for this program, as we anticipate. I am extremely proud of everyone who made this historic moment possible.”
The next steps for the X-59 involve ground tests, including engine-run and taxi tests, in preparation for its anticipated first flight later this year. The aircraft will then proceed to the acoustic testing phase, involving flights over populated areas to collect data for regulatory purposes.
This phase is intended to gather evidence to potentially enable new regulations that could allow for quieter commercial supersonic flight over land, potentially halving commercial flight times, as per Lockheed Martin’s and NASA’s objectives.
Meanwhile at RNAS Yeovilton Museum , we’ve had these types for nearly 70 years…. History of Supersonic flight all under one roof .
😀
yes but the US used the sonic boom as the excuse to kill it commercially..so I suppose if they are now looking to step up commercial supersonic flight they will need to kill the boom.
Chuck Yeager would have loved that.
“The entire X-59 team leaned into the expertise of both legendary organizations, NASA and Lockheed Martin, to ensure success for this program, as we anticipate.”
Gack! But is it diverse enough?!
It’s the Angel intercepter!
Yes! That’s where I’ve seen it before about 50 years ago, well done Slough. We now need a Thunderbirds 2.
This is the voice of the Mysterons, We know that you can hear us Earthmen. 😂
That’s spooky that’s exactly what I said on New Atlas when they featured this prototype a few months back. It does have the same look you are right.
Very like it indeed.🙂
They should call it “Pinocchio”.
Just in case anyone is interested this aircraft is just a test bed for a number of theoretical technologies and aerodynamic theories, it has no direct utility in its own right as a future commercial design, purely a one off that depending on the results might possibly feed into future programmes. That long nose supposedly will prevent the pressure wave building and thus reduce the boom effect substantially. There are at least two other US projects trying to achieve a similar result though much more focused on a finished commercial design. It will be interested to see if any reach… Read more »
Well, it definitely doesn’t look like a Tic-Tac or a saucer so I guess those are not ours…. Wonder whose they are ????? 👽
Take a look at the Fairy Delta Dart and the HP115. This X59 seems to be a mix of both. They were also used as testbeds for the development of Concorde so this new aircraft seems to have taken on board some of the tech that we used 70 years ago.
I’m sure it will be claimed as their own…
I love these games. The Fairy Delta Dart looks like the Convair F-102…
There are also some elements of the Valkyrie in there to my eye but I suppose that is what happens when you are old enough to remember the original.
I’m guessing that this aircraft will have a camera set up for being able to see just where the heck they are going….. the Droop Nose feature seems to be missing.