Civilian plane breaks sound barrier and passes test

The American magazine "Boom Supersonic" reported that the XB-1 civilian aircraft managed to break the speed of sound during a test flight carried out on January 28, 2025.
And it's the first time a civilian aircraft has achieved this feat in continental U.S. airspace, marking a major step toward the return of supersonic speed to the world of civil aviation.

Greg Croland, former principal engineer at Boom Supersonic, said during the live broadcast of the flight: "This aircraft has advanced technologies that will contribute to the development of supersonic passenger aircraft for the global market."
The test flight took place at the Mojave Aeronautics and Space Center in California, where the aircraft reached a speed of Mach 1,11 on the first attempt, followed by three more successful attempts. This test marks the twelfth successful test of the XB-1 prototype aircraft.
It is worth noting that only military aircraft, such as fighters and bombers, are currently capable of exceeding the speed of sound. On the other hand, the civil aircraft "Concorde" stopped flying in 2003 due to high costs and accidents, including a crash in 2000 that resulted in the death of all passengers.

The success of the XB-1 aircraft heralds the return of supersonic commercial flights. The company "Boom Supersonic" is working on the development of the "Overture" aircraft, a futuristic passenger plane that will reach a speed of Mach 1,7 and will be able to carry up to 80 passengers. The company plans to begin production of the aircraft this year, with a forecast of launching commercial flights by 2029. The airlines "United" and "American" have already placed preliminary orders for this aircraft.

Other entities, such as Dawn Aerospace and the US space agency NASA, are also working on developing supersonic aircraft. NASA is focusing on reducing the noise produced by aircraft through its X-59 aircraft project, which aims to produce a quieter sound instead of the annoying sonic boom.