Eventually, they merge into a single shock wave, which travels at the speed of sound, a critical speed known as Mach 1, which is approximately 1,192 km/h (741 mph) at sea level and 20 °C (68 °F). In smooth flight, the shock wave starts at the nose of the aircraft and ends at the tail.

Sep 23, 2023 · A sonic boom is the sound produced when an object, often today's supersonic aircraft, moves faster than the speed of sound. This rapid movement creates shock waves that manifest as a loud, booming noise.

Feb 10, 2025 · When the experimental XB-1 aircraft achieved supersonic speeds on a test flight, it did not create a disruptive sonic boom – thanks to a physics phenomenon called the Mach cutoff.

Boomless Cruise leverages well-known Mach cutoff physics, where a sonic boom refracts upward due to temperature and wind gradients affecting the local speed of sound. This is similar to how light bends when passing through a glass of water.

XB-1 completes key system checks, hitting a new top speed of Mach 0.82 (499 KTAS) and reaching 23,015 feet.

Jan 28, 2025 · MOJAVE, CA and DENVER, January 28, 2025 — Boom Supersonic, the company building the world’s fastest airliner, Overture, today announced the successful first supersonic flight of its XB-1 demonstrator aircraft at the Mojave Air & Space Port in California.

Feb 11, 2025 · Boom Supersonic passed a major milestone last month when its XB-1 prototype became the first civil aircraft to break the sound barrier over the continental US.

May 31, 2015 · It only means that the boom was generated at speeds equal to or greater than Mach 1. For example, a plane travelling at Mach 3 would still produce a sonic boom but you'd still only hear it once because the "boom" would only reach your ear once.

Feb 11, 2025 · Boom Supersonic’s XB-1 successfully demonstrated Boomless Cruise, a supersonic flight mode that prevents sonic booms from reaching the ground by leveraging atmospheric refraction.

Sonic boom is an impulsive noise similar to thunder. It is caused by an object moving faster than sound -- about 750 miles per hour at sea level. An aircraft traveling through the atmosphere continuously produces air-pressure waves similar to the water waves caused by a ship's bow.