‘Son of Concorde’ jet that could fly from London to NYC in 3.5hr reaches new heights ahead of major supersonic flight

THE soon-to-be supersonic XB-1 level has flown higher than it ever has earlier successful its astir caller formation test.

The super-fast jet, from Colorado-based Boom Technology, completed its eighth formation trial this weekend.

During a formation lasting astir 54minutes, the XB-1 level reached a caller max altitude of 25,040ft.

That is much than 2,000ft higher than its erstwhile formation test.

Engineers mean to alert the level higher, and faster, until it yet reaches supersonic speeds of Mach 1, which is the velocity of sound.

At this speed, the XB-1 level could ferry passengers from London to New York City successful conscionable 3.5hours.

The eighth formation trial confirmed that flying astatine eyewatering speeds of Mach 0.8 oregon 614mph is safe, adjacent with the stableness augmentation strategy switched off.

"XB-1 cleared this requirement, confirming that the aviator tin safely power the craft astatine higher speeds adjacent successful the lawsuit of a stableness augmentation strategy failure," the squad wrote successful a formation trial update.

Designing a level that is stable, precise fast, and doesn't trust connected computerised augmentation to enactment harmless successful the aerial has been a challenge, the squad said.

Many modern combatant jets, which tin alert from Mach 1.2 to Mach 2.5, usage automated systems that marque changeless adjustments to the formation way successful bid to support stability.

They added: "While XB-1 does person this benignant of system, called the stableness augmentation system, the squad is assessing the craft with the strategy disconnected astatine expanding speeds - this is simply a request anterior to supersonic formation that XB-1 successfully cleared during this flight."

A small implicit a week ago, the pitchy took disconnected for its seventh trial flight, successful which it reached a caller apical speed.

It deed speeds of Mach 0.82 - oregon 499 knots, up from Mach 0.67 connected its sixth flight.

The XB-1 made its inaugural trial formation successful March this year.

It is unclear erstwhile Boom volition commence the ninth trial flight; however, it could beryllium successful arsenic small arsenic 2 weeks' clip if the institution follows its existent pace.

Commercial supersonic formation implicit onshore has been banned successful the US for much than 50 years, and astir 20 years successful the UK, due to the fact that of the sound of sonic booms.

There person been nary commercialized craft adjacent susceptible of supersonic formation since the Concorde.

The craft were banned successful the UK due to the fact that they were deemed excessively noisy and highly costly to operate.

With restricted formation availability, fares were often excessively precocious for astir customers.

There are an expanding fig of companies trying to physique supersonic aircraft, present regulators are poised to reappraisal the bans.

Plans to physique adjacent faster hypersonic jets are besides rolling disconnected the shelves.

Supersonic and hypersonic are fundamentally 1 and the same.

Supersonic means faster than the velocity of sound.

While hypersonic means specifically 5 times faster than the velocity of sound.

So thing that reaches hypersonic speeds, is besides technically supersonic.

But not each supersonic craft is hypersonic.