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NASA set to unveil experimental X-59 aircraft aimed at commercial supersonic travel

By Rishikesh Rajagopalan

January 9, 2024 / 6:00 AM EST / CBS News

NASA's new experimental aircraft will go thump in the night – that's the plan, anyway. The X-59, set to be unveiled in Palmdale, California, on Friday, is designed to turn the volume down on supersonic travel.

"NASA's X-59 is a one-of-a-kind experimental aircraft that will demonstrate the ability to fly supersonic while generating a gentle "sonic thump" rather than the normally loud sonic boom," NASA said in a news release .

Watch the unveiling of @NASAAero 's X-59 aircraft, set to fly this year to test quieter supersonic flight technology. The Quesst mission could help bring a return to supersonic air travel over land. Livestream starts Friday, Jan. 12 at 4pm ET (2100 UTC): https://t.co/RBo9WkII72 pic.twitter.com/b3mz9aiL9D — NASA (@NASA) January 5, 2024

The aircraft, a collaboration with Lockheed Martin Skunk Works , is the centerpiece of NASA's Quesst mission, with the goal of minimizing cross-country travel time by making supersonic flight over land possible. 

The United States banned supersonic travel over land for non-military aircraft in 1973 due to public concern about sonic booms over populated areas. NASA recently studied transoceanic supersonic flight , which could in theory shuttle passengers from New York City to London in under two hours.

"We're definitely ready to write a new chapter in the history of supersonic flight, making air travel over land twice as fast, but in a way that is safe, sustainable, and so much quieter than before," Peter Coen, NASA's Quesst Mission Integration Manager, said in a statement in April.

The X-59 is scheduled to take flight this year . Once fully operational and tested, NASA plans to fly the aircraft over select U.S. cities in 2026 and gather feedback from the public on the sound it produces.

Rishi Rajagopalan is a social media associate producer and content writer for CBS News.

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NASA X-59 Experimental Aircraft’s Quiet Revolution in Supersonic Flight

Ground tests for NASA ’s X-59 aircraft show promising advancements in recording quiet sonic booms, setting the stage for quieter supersonic travel.

NASA’s X-59 experimental aircraft is unique – it’s designed to fly faster than the speed of sound, but without causing a loud sonic boom. To confirm the X-59’s ability to fly supersonic while only producing quiet sonic “thumps,” NASA needs to be able to record these sounds from the ground. The agency recently completed tests aimed at understanding equipment and procedures needed to make those recordings.

Groundbreaking Ground Recording Systems

NASA’s Carpet Determination In Entirety Measurements (CarpetDIEM) flights examined the quality and ruggedness of a new generation of ground recording systems, focusing on how to deploy the systems for X-59 testing, and retrieve the data they collect. In all, researchers set up 10 microphone stations over a 30-mile stretch of desert near NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California.

Preparation and Testing Phases

“We’re trying to answer questions like how many people does it take to go out and service these instruments on a daily basis, how to get the data back, how many vehicles are needed – all those sorts of things on how we operate,” said Dr. Forrest Carpenter, principal investigator for the third flight series, known as CarpetDIEM III. “We’re kind of learning how to dance now so that when we get to the big dance, we’re ready to go.”

The X-59 itself is not yet flying, so using an F-15 and an F-18 from NASA Armstrong, the CarpetDIEM III testing involved 20 supersonic passes with speeds ranging from Mach 1.15 to Mach 1.4, at altitudes ranging from 40,000 to 53,000 feet. Three of the passes involved an F-18 conducting a special inverted dive maneuver to simulate a quiet sonic boom, with one getting as quiet as 67 perceived level decibels, a measure of the perceived noisiness of the jet for an observer on the ground.

Lowering Sonic Boom Loudness

“We expect the X-59 sonic thump to be as low as about 75 perceived loudness decibels,” said Larry Cliatt, sub-project manager for the Quesst acoustic validation phase. “That is a lot quieter than the Concorde, which was over 100 perceived loudness decibels.”

In order to measure these very quiet sonic thumps, the ground recording systems used in the CarpetDIEM flights were calibrated to measure as low as about 50 perceived loudness decibels – the equivalent to being in the room with a running refrigerator.

CarpetDIEM III also validated the use of Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast, an existing technology flown on all commercial aircraft and most private aircraft to report speed and position. This system triggers the ground recording systems to begin recording.

“We can’t have 70 different people at every single instrumentation box,” Cliatt said. “We had to find a way to automate that process.”

Durability and Efficiency

The recording systems are designed to withstand the desert elements, the extreme heat of summer, and the cold of winter, and to be resistant to damage from wildlife, such as chewing by rodents, coyotes, and foxes.

“When we get to Phase 2 of the Quesst mission, we expect to be doing these recordings of sonic thumps for up to nine months,” Cliatt said. “We need to be able to have instrumentation and operations that can facilitate such a long deployment.”

Another lesson learned – setup time for the recording stations was just under an hour, compared to the anticipated 2 1/2 hours. Given the performance of the systems, the team will assess whether they need to visit all the sites every day of Phase 2 testing.

Collaboration and Coordination

The team also learned about the coordination and documentation processes needed for such research, both with internal organizations, such as NASA Armstrong’s Environmental and Safety offices, and with outside parties including:

• The U.S. Bureau of Land Management, which gave approval to use public lands for the testing
• Law enforcement, which helped secure the test site
• The Federal Aviation Administration, which gave approval for NASA jets to fly outside the Edwards Air Force Base restricted airspace in order to conduct a portion of the CarpetDIEM tests

Looking Ahead

To prepare for Quesst Phase 2, researchers expect to conduct practice sessions in 2024, incorporating all the lessons learned and best practices from all three phases of CarpetDIEM.

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Next Generation Experimental Aircraft Becomes NASA's Newest X-Plane

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Jun 12, 2023, 20:30 ET

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WASHINGTON , June 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA and Boeing said Monday the aircraft produced through the agency's Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project has been designated by the U.S. Air Force as the X-66A.

The new X-plane seeks to inform a potential new generation of more sustainable single-aisle aircraft – the workhorse of passenger airlines around the world. Working with NASA, Boeing will build, test, and fly a full-scale demonstrator aircraft with extra-long, thin wings stabilized by diagonal struts, known as a Transonic Truss-Braced Wing concept.

"At NASA, our eyes are not just focused on stars but also fixated on the sky. The Sustainable Flight Demonstrator builds on NASA's world-leading efforts in aeronautics as well climate," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson . "The X-66A will help shape the future of aviation, a new era where aircraft are greener, cleaner, and quieter, and create new possibilities for the flying public and American industry alike."

The X-66A is the first X-plane specifically focused on helping the United States achieve the goal of net-zero aviation greenhouse gas emissions, which was articulated in the White House's U.S. Aviation Climate Action Plan .

"To reach our goal of net zero aviation emissions by 2050, we need transformative aircraft concepts like the ones we're flying on the X-66A," said Bob Pearce , associate administrator for NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, who announced the designation at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Aviation Forum in San Diego . "With this experimental aircraft, we're aiming high to demonstrate the kinds of energy-saving, emissions-reducing technologies the aviation industry needs."

NASA and Boeing sought the X-plane designation shortly after the agency announced the Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project award earlier this year. The Air Force confers X-plane status for development programs that set out to create revolutionary experimental aircraft configurations. The designation is for research aircraft. With few exceptions, X-planes are intended to test designs and technologies that can be adopted into other aircraft designs, not serve as prototypes for full production.

"We're incredibly proud of this designation, because it means that the X-66A will be the next in a long line of experimental aircraft used to validate breakthrough designs that have transformed aviation," said Todd Citron , Boeing chief technology officer. "With the learnings gained from design, construction, and flight-testing, we'll have an opportunity to shape the future of flight and contribute to the decarbonization of aerospace."

For the X-66A, the Air Force provided the designation for an aircraft that validates technologies for a Transonic Truss-Braced Wing configuration that, when combined with other advancements in propulsion systems, materials, and systems architecture, could result in up to 30% less fuel consumption and reduced emissions when compared with today's best-in-class aircraft.

Due to their heavy usage, single-aisle aircraft today account for nearly half of worldwide aviation emissions. Creating designs and technologies for a more sustainable version of this type of aircraft has the potential for profound impact on emissions.

NASA's history with the X-plane designation dates to the 1940s, when its predecessor agency, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) jointly created an experimental aircraft program with the Air Force and the U.S. Navy. The X-66A is the latest in a long line of NASA X-planes. Additionally, NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California , has provided technical expertise and support for several additional X-planes.

For the Sustainable Flight Demonstrator, NASA has a Funded Space Act Agreement with Boeing through which the agency will invest $425 million over seven years, while the company and its partners will contribute the remainder of the funding, estimated at about $725 million . NASA also will contribute technical expertise and facilities.

The Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project is an activity under NASA's Integrated Aviation Systems Program and a key element of the agency's Sustainable Flight National Partnership , which focuses on developing new sustainable aviation technologies.

Learn more about the Sustainable Flight Demonstrator at:

https://go.nasa.gov/3X4t9MD

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Take a look at the silent X-59​ aircraft, NASA's experimental attempt at creating a supersonic jet with a quieter sonic boom

• NASA unveiled the X-59, an experimental supersonic aircraft designed to produce a quieter sonic boom.
• The explosive noise happens when an aircraft travels faster than the speed of sound.
• Though the X-59 is not a prototype, its technology could influence the future of supersonic flight.

Earlier this month, NASA unveiled the X-59 aircraft , its experimental supersonic jet designed to travel faster than the speed of sound — with a "sonic boom" no louder than the bounce of a basketball.

The X-59 is a 100-foot research aircraft designed to create a quieter sonic boom more suitable for commercial travel, following the end of the Concorde, the first supersonic commercial airplane, in 2003. It features a streamlined nose that makes up about a third of its length and a windowless cockpit.

Dubbed the Quiet Supersonic Technology or QueSST for short, NASA's mission will operate through 2027 and aims to have its first flight later this year.

What happens during a sonic boom

A sonic boom occurs when an aircraft exceeds the speed of sound. Normally, whenever any aircraft travels, it creates pressure waves in the air in front of and behind it — similar to how a boat produces waves in the water.

Those pressure waves travel at the speed of sound. So when an aircraft surpasses that speed, it compresses the pressure waves in front of it to the point they produce a shock wave.

That shock wave is what you hear as a sonic boom.

A sonic boom can generate sounds of up to 110 decibels, similar to a thunderclap or explosion strong enough to shatter windows and cause tremors. Trained fighter pilots become acclimated to traveling at Mach speeds, but not so much the average commercial airline passenger .

There are no commercial supersonic planes currently in operation since the permanent retirement of the Concorde. Developed in the 1960s, the Concorde was the first supersonic passenger-carrying commercial airplane built by the UK and France. Traveling at speeds up to Mach 2, the aircraft reduced travel between New York and London to only three hours.

Only 14 Concordes went into service before it was retired in 2003 due to its costly operation, risks, and noise .

The X-59 aims to change that.

The Quesst mission seeks to reduce "the loudness of a sonic boom reaching the ground to that of a gentle thump, if it is heard at all," the agency said.

World travel in half the time

The space agency developed the X-59 with aerospace company Lockheed Martin in a $247.5 million contract. The jet was cleared for assembly in 2019, three decades since the last large-scale piloted X-plane.

"This is a major accomplishment made possible only through the hard work and ingenuity from NASA and the entire X-59 team," NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy said in a statement. "In just a few short years, we've gone from an ambitious concept to reality. NASA's X-59 will help change the way we travel, bringing us closer together in much less time."

Latest in a series of X-plane supersonic jets

The X-59 is the latest in a series of experimental supersonic aircraft called X-planes . It includes the X-1 , the first manned supersonic plane, and the X-15, which holds the record for the fastest speed ever achieved by an aircraft at Mach 6.72 (about 4,520 mph).

The future of commercial supersonic travel

The development and operation of the Concorde were so costly that the aircraft wasn't profitable in its 30 years of service.

Other startups and aerospace manufacturers are also looking to get into hypersonic travel to significantly cut down global travel time, like the Boom Supersonic's Overture jet and Venus Aerospace's Stargazer .

Airline companies are keen on getting in on the supersonic action as well, with American Airlines and United Airlines already ordering the ultra-fast aircraft.

"If you look back 100 years, a lot of the advanced mobility technologies, including railroads and airplanes, started out as premium experiences," Craig Nickol, senior advisor at NASA Headquarters, told CNN in 2022 , "but as technology advanced and costs came down, they became available to the general public."

"One of the long-term goals is to make this form of high-speed travel available as a widespread application, and there's really no reason why it can't happen," Nickol added.

A streamlined nose

The X-59's unique design reduces the noise of the sonic boom to just 75 decibels, about as loud as a vacuum cleaner, due to its extra long nose.

"It will be significantly quieter than Concorde or any other supersonic aircraft that exist today," Nickol said. "It's extremely long and thin — it's almost 100 feet long — but has a wingspan of only about 29 feet. The nose is a distinguishing feature on this aircraft: it's about a third of the length."

A windowless cockpit

The X-59 also doesn't have an actual foward-facing window because of the plane's streamlined nose. Instead, the aircraft uses a eXternal Vision System in the cockpit, a monitor displaying high-definition real-time imagery of what's in front of it using externally mounted cameras and an augmented reality symbology overlay.

The XVS "is designed to create equivalent or better levels of performance and safety to that of forward-facing windows on today's aircraft," NASA said in a 2019 release.

Test flights

While the X-59 is not meant to be a prototype for commercial supersonic travel, its design and technology could inform the future of commercial supersonic flight.

"Any future design of a low boom commercial aircraft for supersonic flight will certainly be different than this, although some of the design elements could translate directly over," Nickol said.

Later this year, NASA will conduct a series of test flights over residential areas of the US to survey residents and gauge the noise of the sonic boom. The test data will be provided to industry regulators to demonstrate the ability of quiet supersonic travel in a commercial capacity.

"By demonstrating the possibility of quiet commercial supersonic travel over land, we seek to open new commercial markets for US companies and benefit travelers around the world," Bob Pearce, associate administrator for aeronautics research at NASA Headquarters in Washington, said in a statement.

• Main content

NASA, US Air Force unveil new X-plane — the X-66A — to test wild wing design for fuel-efficient flight

The X-66A could "shape the future of aviation."

NASA's latest experimental X-plane has received a name. 

The United States Air Force has designated the plane, designed in conjunction with Boeing through NASA's Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project as the X-66A.

The X-66A is also the first X-plane designed specifically to help the U.S. achieve the net-zero goal for aviation greenhouse gas emissions, set out in the White House's U.S. Aviation Climate Action Plan, released in 2021.

NASA said in a press release that the X-66A could inform a new generation of sustainable single-aisle aircraft, planes that currently operated as the backbone of passenger-bassed air travel. As a result of their heavy usage, single-aisle aircraft account for around half of aviation greenhouse gas emissions across the globe. This means a sustainable version of such a craft could have a major impact on greenhouse gas emissions. 

"At NASA, our eyes are not just focused on stars but also fixated on the sky. The Sustainable Flight Demonstrator builds on NASA 's world-leading efforts in aeronautics as well climate," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in the statement. "The X-66A will help shape the future of aviation, a new era where aircraft are greener, cleaner, and quieter and create new possibilities for the flying public and American industry alike."

Related: This wild DARPA CRANE X-plane could be a giant leap in aircraft design

NASA has a Funded Space Act Agreement with Boeing for the Sustainable Flight Demonstrator, which will see the space agency make an investment of $425 million over seven years. While NASA also provides the facilities and technical expertise for the project, Boeing and its partners will contribute an estimated $725 million to its funding. 

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Together with Boeing, this will see NASA build and fly a full-sized demonstration of the X-66A with extra long thin wings stabilized by diagonal struts, a design called a "Transonic Truss-Braced Wing."

What is an X-plane? 

X-plane status is granted by the Air Force to development programs such as that of the X-66A, which aim to create revolutionary experimental aircraft configurations. Usually reserved for research aircraft, the X-planes should test novel designs and new technologies that can be integrated into other aircraft rather than planes designed to be prototypes for full production.

— Stratolaunch's huge Roc plane drops hypersonic test vehicle for 1st time (video)

— Dawn Aerospace's space plane aces first rocket-powered flights (video)

— India successfully lands reusable space plane prototype for 1st time (video)  

"We're incredibly proud of this designation because it means that the X-66A will be the next in a long line of experimental aircraft used to validate breakthrough designs that have transformed aviation," Boeing chief technology officer Todd Citron said. "With the learnings gained from design, construction, and flight testing, we'll have an opportunity to shape the future of flight and contribute to the decarbonization of aerospace."

In the case of the X-66A, the X-plane status recognizes the design's Transonic Truss-Braced Wing configuration that, in combination with advancements in propulsion systems, and materials, could lead to a reduction of 30% in fuel consumption and fewer emissions in comparison to current "best-in-class" aircraft. 

The aircraft is the latest in a long line of X-planes created by NASA, dating back to the 1940s, and the space agency's predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), which founded an experimental aircraft program with the Air Force and the U.S. Navy. With its emphasis on emission reduction, the X-66A may just be one of the most important X-planes yet. 

"To reach our goal of net zero aviation emissions by 2050, we need transformative aircraft concepts like the ones we're flying on the X-66A," associate administrator for NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate Bob Pearce said. "With this experimental aircraft, we're aiming high to demonstrate the kinds of energy-saving, emissions-reducing technologies the aviation industry needs."

Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or on Facebook .

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: [email protected].

Robert Lea is a science journalist in the U.K. whose articles have been published in Physics World, New Scientist, Astronomy Magazine, All About Space, Newsweek and ZME Science. He also writes about science communication for Elsevier and the European Journal of Physics. Rob holds a bachelor of science degree in physics and astronomy from the U.K.’s Open University. Follow him on Twitter @sciencef1rst.

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NASA X-59 supersonic aircraft gets makeover ahead of first flight

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft made its way to the paint barn at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works’ facility in Palmdale, California.  

The move, which occurred on November 14, 2023, marks an important milestone ahead of the first test flights of this experimental aircraft. 

The X-59’s new paint scheme will feature a predominantly white body with a distinctive NASA “sonic blue” underside and red accents adorning its wings.  

As explained by NASA in a press release, the paint’s purpose goes beyond mere aesthetics. It serves a critical role in preserving the aircraft from moisture and corrosion while also incorporating essential safety markings to enhance ground and flight operations.  

“The year ahead will be a big one for the X-59, and it will be thrilling for the outside of the aircraft to finally match the spectacular mission ahead,” Catherine Bahm, Project Manager for the Low Boom Flight Demonstrator (LBFD) project, commented. 

Once the paint job is completed, the project team will take final measurements of the X-59’s weight and exact shape. These measurements will contribute to refining computer models, ensuring precision and efficiency in the aircraft’s future operations. 

The X-59 is an experimental aircraft designed and assembled by Lockheed Martin as part of NASA’s Quiet SuperSonic Technology (QueSST) program. Its goal is to fly at supersonic speeds while producing a sonic thump, or boom, quiet enough to meet the standards necessary for overland flight.  

Conventional supersonic travel produces a sonic boom that can be disruptive to people on the ground. Presently, US regulations prohibit flights over land at speeds exceeding Mach 1 (1,234 kilometers per hour or 767 miles per hour) without specific authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration. The noise issue posed a significant challenge for the Concorde, limiting its supersonic operations to transatlantic flights and preventing it from traversing US and European airspaces. 

The maiden flight of the X-59 is slated for 2024. It will then undertake a series of flights across different communities, gathering essential data on how humans respond to the sonic disturbances generated during supersonic travel. 

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Piloted, electric propulsion-powered experimental aircraft under way

NASA is researching ideas that could lead to developing an electric propulsion-powered aircraft that would be quieter, more efficient and environmentally friendly than today's commuter aircraft.

The proposed piloted experimental airplane is called Sceptor, short for the Scalable Convergent Electric Propulsion Technology and Operations Research. The concept involves removing the wing from an Italian-built Tecnam P2006T aircraft and replacing it with an experimental wing integrated with electric motors.

An advantage of modifying an existing aircraft is engineers will be able to compare the performance of the proposed experimental airplane with the original configuration, said Sean Clarke, Sceptor co-principal investigator at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in California. The Tecnam, currently under construction, is expected to be at Armstrong in about a year for integration of the wing with the fuselage. Armstrong flew a different Tecnam P2006T in September to gather performance data on the original configuration.

NASA researchers ultimately envision a nine-passenger aircraft with a 500-kilowatt power system in 2019. To put that in perspective, 500 kilowatts (nearly 700 horsepower) is about five times as powerful as an average modern passenger car engine.

However, to reach that goal NASA researchers intend to fly the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate-funded Sceptor in about two years. Progress in three areas is happening now to enable that timeline, Clarke said.

Those areas include testing of an experimental wing on a truck, developing and using a new simulator to look at controls and handling characteristics of an electric airplane and verifying tools that will enable NASA's aeronautical innovators to design and build Sceptor. Sceptor also is part of NASA's efforts to help pioneer low-carbon propulsion and transition it to industry.

The first area is the Hybrid Electric Integrated Systems Testbed, or HEIST, an experimental wing initially mounted on a specially modified truck. It is used for a series of research projects intended to integrate complex electric propulsion systems.

The testbed functions like a wind tunnel on the ground, accelerating to as much as 73 mph to gather data, Clarke explained. Researchers have used the testbed to measure lift, drag, pitching moment and rolling moment that can validate research tools, Clarke said.

"By evaluating what we measured, versus what the computational fluid dynamics, or CFD, predicted, we will know if the predictions make sense," he added. "Since Sceptor is a new design, we need to validate we have good answers for the Sceptor experimental wing," Clarke said.

HEIST's first experiment was called the Leading Edge Asynchronous Propeller Technology, or Leaptech . The experiment began in May at Armstrong and consisted of 18 electric motors integrated into the carbon composite wing with lithium iron phosphate batteries.

Tests so far show the distribution of power among the 18 motors creates more than double the lift at lower speeds than traditional systems, he said. Leaptech is a collaboration of Armstrong and NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, and California companies Empirical Systems Aerospace of Pismo Beach and Joby Aviation of Santa Cruz.

Developing and refining research tools is another major effort.

For example, researchers are integrating Sceptor aircraft systems with an Armstrong flight simulator for pilots to evaluate handling qualities. Researchers also will be able to study balancing the power demands of the motors with batteries and then a turbine, Clarke explained. Researchers are interested if a hybrid of distributed electric motors and gas-powered turbines could provide power to extend the aircraft's range and enable the envisioned 9-place concept aircraft, Clarke explained.

Sceptor could be a solution to greater fuel efficiency, improved performance and ride quality and aircraft noise reduction. NASA will be key in developing those technologies for the future that will be with people when they fly.

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5 key & experimental aircraft flown by nasa.

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• The Super Guppy solved NASA's logistics issues by transporting oversized cargo.
• The X-59 Quesst aims to eliminate sonic booms and revolutionize supersonic travel.
• NASA's X-57 Maxwell helps develop electric aircraft tech and reduces fuel use and noise.

NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration) is best known for its space missions but is also a world pioneer in more conventional aviation. For example, NASA and the Air Force worked together to create the X-15 rocket plane that still holds the world record for the fastest-piloted aircraft ever flown (Mach 6.7) . NASA operates a fleet of aircraft that help conduct its aeronautical research, train astronauts, study the planets, and operate the agency's many air and space programs. NASA operates everything from private jets to specialized experimental aircraft, pushing the limits of aviation.

1 Super Guppy

The super guppy is a remarkable solution to nasa's unique logistical problems..

Perhaps the most eye-catching aircraft currently flown by NASA is the Aero Spacelines Super Guppy (the successor of the Pregnant Guppy). It is an aircraft built specially for hauling outsize cargo (such as the complete S-IVB stage and third stage of the Saturn V rocket).

NASA notes that transporting oversized cargo is a tremendous problem for logistics planners—sometimes, it's just impossible to get out-sized cargo through tunnels, along narrow roads, etc. The Super Guppy is not designed to carry the heaviest loads but can carry immensely bulky cargo. Its cargo area is 25 feet in diameter and 111 feet long, and its nose opening is 110 degrees.

Cool: Video Shows NASA's Super Guppy Landing At Mesa Gateway Airport

2 x-59 quesst, quesst is nasa's quest to solve the sonic boom problem and open up supersonic travel..

The X-59 Quesst is one of NASA's most notable experimental aircraft . NASA states Quesst is its ". ..mission to demonstrate how the X-59 can fly supersonic without generating loud sonic booms and then survey what people hear when it flies overhead. " Loud sonic booms were one of the key factors that limited and then doomed the Concorde.

Lockheed Martin (which is building the aircraft) says, " This breakthrough would open the door to an entirely new global market for aircraft manufacturers, enabling passengers to travel anywhere in the world in half the time it takes today ." Queest is expected to fly for the first time in 2024 and will fly at Mach 1.42. If the tests are successful, it may lead to regulators lifting the ban on faster-than-sound flights over land.

Boom Supersonic’s XB-1 Has Experimental Certification: What’s Next?

Boom Supersonic's XB-1 prototype is cleared for test flight. Read on for what's being tested with XB-1 and why.

3 X-57 Maxwell

While the x-57 maxwell will never fly, its development has contributed to learning about electric aircraft..

Cars and trucks can be electric - how about aircraft? One of the main problems with electric aircraft is the weight of the battery. However, NASA is experimenting with an all- electric aircraft , the X-57 Maxwell, to demonstrate technology to reduce fuel use, emissions, and noise. NASA states that it "... provides aviation researchers with hundreds of lessons learned, as well as revolutionary development in areas ranging from battery technology to cruise motor control design. "

The X-57 Maxwell was intended to fly in 2023 , but this was canceled after problems were found with its propulsion system that would take too long to fix. Even though it seems the aircraft will never fly, much has been learned from designing and building the aircraft - including the cruise motor controllers.

4 Boeing X-66

The x-66 is being developed to demonstrate truss-bracing and hybrid electric technologies..

The Boeing X-66 is an experimental airliner under development by Boeing in collaboration with NASA. NASA says it is " the first X-plane specifically focused on helping the United States achieve net-zero aviation emissions by 2050 ." Boeing is working with NASA to build, test, and fly a full-scale X-66 demonstrator aircraft, hoping it could be the precursor to a new generation of more sustainable single-aisle aircraft.

While NASA lists the X-66 on its webpage of 'current' X-planes, it doesn't actually exist yet (although there are computer renderings of it). The rendering shows the aircraft's signature extra-long, thin wings stabilized by diagonal struts (called the Transonic Truss-Braced Wing concept). It is estimated this configuration (along with other advancements) could result in up to 30% less fuel consumption relative to today's best-in-class aircraft.

5 F-15D Eagle

Modified f-15ds are used as chase planes to monitor and video-specific missions and for pilot training..

NASA operates various aircraft - including modified F-15 and F/A-18 fighter jets. NASA has operated variants of the F-15 Eagle , including the F-15D (#884 and #897). These are used for research support and pilot proficiency. They are typically used for photo or video support as they can transmit live video feeds so that engineers can visually monitor the mission as it is being flown.

NASA states that using fighter jets to monitor experimental or other missions greatly enhances flight safety. Fighter jets, commonly called chase planes, are used as escort aircraft during research missions. Armstrong research pilots also use F15Ds for routine flight training, which is required by all NASA pilots.

Unique NASA Experimental Aircraft Is Up For Sale

The heavily modified de Havilland Canada C-8A Buffalo comes with a reserve price of $10,000.

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NASA’s Experimental X-59 “Quiet” Supersonic Aircraft Moves One Step Closer to Flight

Welcome to this week’s Intelligence Brief… on Wednesday, NASA announced that its mission to deliver quiet supersonic flight to commercial aviation saw significant advancements as its experimental X-59 moves toward verification of airworthiness. We’ll be taking a look at 1) the latest developments with the supersonic aircraft as it moves toward its testing phase, 2) how NASA’s Quesst mission aims to revitalize the long-dormant commercial component of overland supersonic flight, and 3) what will be required as the X-59 undergoes some of its most significant assessments yet.

Quote of the Week

“None of these systems have ever worked and played together before. It’s a brand-new thing that we are developing, even though they’re components that have been on different legacy aircraft.”

– Brad Neal, X-59 Airworthiness and Flight Safety Review board chairman

Latest News:  Recently at  The Debrief, a warp drive breakthrough has been unveiled by leading propulsion researchers, DARPA is funding the development of a military-grade quantum laser prototype , and experts theorize that AI superintelligence could be the reason we haven’t detected alien civilizations . All of our recent stories can be found at the end of this week’s newsletter.  

Podcasts:  In podcasts this week, on  The Debrief Weekly Report , Kenna and Stephanie examine new insights unearthed from ancient lava tubes in Saudi Arabia. Over on The Micah Hanks Program , I take a look at the folklore surrounding Utah’s controversial Skinwalker Ranch, as well as recent developments related to research efforts conducted at the alleged UFO hotspot. You can subscribe to all The Debrief’s  podcasts on  our Podcasts Page .

Video News:  On the latest episode of  Rebelliously Curious , Chrissy Newton is joined by Neel Lee Chauhan, Founder of MNDLB5 (Mind Labs) and former Music Music DJ turned tech entrepreneur who discusses the ethical dilemmas, creative potentials and future possibilities of AI in music. Be sure to check out other great content from The Debrief  on  our official YouTube Channel .

Now, it’s time to examine NASA’s efforts to bring quiet supersonic flight to commercial aviation as its groundbreaking experimental aircraft approaches one of its most crucial challenges yet.

NASA’s X-59 Moves Closer to Taking Flight

This week, NASA reported the completion of a milestone review that will enable its supersonic X-59 “quiet” aircraft to move toward flight.

The Lockheed Martin X-59 Quesst, produced by the aerospace giant’s famous Skunk Works, is an experimental aircraft built for NASA’s Low-Boom Flight Demonstrator project. The aircraft, which NASA hopes will revolutionize air travel by reintroducing commercial airplanes capable of exceeding the speed of sound, was officially unveiled earlier this year.

On Wednesday, the American space agency announced that a Flight Readiness Review board had finished studying the X-59 project team’s safety protocols for staff and the public before ground and flight tests, marking the first phase in the aircraft’s flight approval process.

NASA’s Quesst Mission

The X-59 is the flagship of NASA’s Quesst mission, which aims to produce supersonic aircraft with a quieter “thump.”

At just under 100 feet in length and around 30 feet in width, the X-59 represents the future of 21st-century quiet supersonic aircraft design. Nearly a third of the aircraft’s overall length comprises its elongated nose, a key design feature that allows the X-59 to disrupt the shock waves that typically cause sonic booms that occur during supersonic flight. Existing regulations prohibiting overland supersonic flight stem from flights of the Supersonic Transport Concorde close to half a century ago.

At the X-59’s official unveiling in January , Bob Pearce, associate administrator for aeronautics research at NASA Headquarters, said NASA plans to “share the data and technology we generate from this one-of-a-kind mission with regulators and with industry,” and will “seek to open new commercial markets for U.S. companies and benefit travelers around the world.”

Airworthiness of America’s “Quiet” Supersonic Aircraft

During its recent Flight Readiness Review, the X-59 team’s work underwent assessment and review, during which the team presented a progress update in advance of the Airworthiness and Flight Safety Review, which will involve senior leaders from both NASA and the X-59’s builders at Lockheed Martin.

During this stage of evaluation, the NASA and Lockheed Martin reviewers will examine the X-59 team’s current findings and responses, which will serve as crucial factors in receipt of the aircraft’s airworthiness certificate. Lastly, a technical brief on the various experimental objectives, methods, risks, and mitigation plans will also be presented.

Prior to flight, the X-59 team will also be required to address any issues that arise during the evaluation period prior to the signing of its official flight request. Currently, several tasks remain to be completed, and the X-59 team is preparing for ground tests that will also mark an important phase in the aircraft’s testing and evaluation, where engine performance will be assessed, as well as any potential for electromagnetic interference.

“It’s really an exciting time on the project,” said Cathy Bahm, NASA’s Low Boom Flight Demonstrator project manager, in a statement this week.

“It’s not an easy road, but there’s a finite set of activities that are in front of us.”

That concludes this week’s installment of The Intelligence Brief. You can read  past editions of The Intelligence Brief at our website , or if you found this installment online, don’t forget to subscribe  and get future email editions from us here . Also, if you have a  tip  or other information you’d like to send along directly to me, you can email me at micah [@] thedebrief [dot] org, or Tweet at me  @MicahHanks .

Reaching New Heights

Here are the top stories we’re covering right now…

• Warp Drive Breakthrough Could Enable Constant-Velocity Subluminal Travel, Physics Team Says A warp drive breakthrough has been unveiled by leading propulsion researchers in in a groundbreaking new study.
• Parabolic Flight Experiments Test Boiling in Partial Gravity to Prepare Future Off-World Colonists Southwest Research Institute scientists are studying boiling in partial gravity to help future off-world colonists survive in space.
• Archaeologists Unearth New Clues That Could Help Solve Centuries-Old “Lost Colony” Mystery New evidence uncovered by archaeologists is bringing researchers closer than ever to revealing the fate of the famous Lost Colony of Roanoke.
• DARPA Funding Military-Grade Quantum Laser Prototype DARPA is funding the development of a military-grade quantum laser prototype that can penetrate dense fog and operate over long distances.
• Artificial Superintelligence Could Doom Humanity and Explain We Haven’t Found Alien Civilizations, Proposes New Research A recent study suggests artificial superintelligence could be the reason we haven’t detected alien civilizations, warning of AI’s existential risks to humanity.
• Researchers Studying Proxima Centauri b Tout ‘Significant Leap Forward’ in Understanding Habitable Earth-Like Planets A new analysis of exoplanet Proxima Centauri b marks a significant leap forward in understanding habitable Earth-like planets.
• Earthquake Swarms with No Clear Trigger Have Baffled Scientists for Years. This May Be What’s Causing Them. New research has revealed that earthquake swarms may be linked to climate events that include heavy snowfall and rain, according to new findings by MIT scientists and an international team of colleagues.
• James Webb Space Telescope Data Reveals New Insights Into the Brightest Gamma Ray Burst Ever Detected James Webb Space Telescope data is offering new clues about a massive supernova associated with the brightest gamma-ray burst ever recorded.
• Star Wars Tatooine-Style Planet with Two Suns Found Orbiting in the Habitable Zone A Tatooine-style planet with two suns like Luke Skywalker’s home in ‘Star Wars’ has been spotted in its host star’s habitable zone.
• Most Severe Geomagnetic Storm Forecast in Two Decades Could Mean Northern Lights Sightings A severe geomagnetic storm is expected to occur over the weekend, which space weather experts say will likely begin as early as Friday afternoon or evening.
• Future Humans Could be Haunted by Digital “Ghosts” of Their Dead Loved Ones, Researchers Warn Researchers warn that people could become unintended targets of emotional distress from AI “deadbots” that emulate their deceased loved ones.
• 1600-Year-Old Stone Inscribed in Mysterious Ancient Language Unearthed in Accidental Discovery A peculiar stone inscribed with a mysterious ancient language is revealing new insights to the ancient history of the British Isles.
• UK Space Agency Testing Extremely Low Orbit Propulsion System That Runs on Solar Power and Thin Air UK’s new extremely low orbit propulsion system that could keep satellites aloft for years at a time will run on solar power and thin air
• Generative AI for Top Secret Missions? Microsoft Deploys GPT-4 for Classified Operations Welcome to this week’s Intelligence Brief… on Tuesday, it was announced that Microsoft is deploying its GPT-4 large language model for use with its cloud services for classified work. In our analysis, we’ll be examining 1) the tech giant’s recent announcement, 2) a quick look at the history of Microsoft’s Azure Government Top Secret, and 3) the steps forward in the U.S. government’s implementation of GPT-4 for work in classified operations. Quote of the Week “We are going to have […]
• The UFO Silencers This week, we look at AARO’s investigations into potentials means by which those with insider knowledge could be potentially be held accountable, and finally, the UFO folklore involving claims of “UFO silencers” from over the decades.
• A Neanderthal Skull Puzzle? On today’s episode, Kenna and Stephanie stare into the eyes of an ancient Neanderthal, explore who she was, and how scientists were able to reconstruct her face.
• UAPs in Canada: A Conversation with MP Larry Maguire on Disclosure, Transparency, and Government Action In a conversation with The Debrief, Canadian MP Larry Maguire shares his thoughts on the UAP subject and the Canadian government’s position on these phenomena.
• James Webb Space Telescope Finds ‘Best Evidence to Date’ for Rocky Exoplanet Atmosphere NASA researchers using the James Webb Space Telescope have detected the ‘best evidence to date’ for a rocky exoplanet atmosphere.
• New “Iontronic Memristor” Could Revolutionize Brain-Like Computing Using Only Salt and Water The iontronic memristor, a breakthrough device mimicking human brain synapses with salt and water is advancing neuromorphic computing.
• Stanford Researchers Create First-Ever Augmented Reality 3D Holographic Headset Using Ordinary Glasses A team of Stanford researchers has created the world’s first augmented reality 3D holographic headset using ordinary glasses.
• Deep Within These Ancient Lava Tube Caves, Archaeologists Have Made an Unprecedented Discovery Archaeologists say remarkable archaeological discoveries are being unearthed deep within ancient lava tube caves in northern Saudi Arabia.
• These Enigmatic “Yooperlites” Found in Michigan Reveal a Luminous Surprise Under Ultraviolet Light In Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, stones called “Yooperlites” that glow when exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light are capturing the fascination of the rockhounding world.

Evaluating an experimental aircraft

Specific knowledge required, evaluating experimental aircraft.

Experimental airplanes account for nearly 25 percent of the roughly 100,000 single-engine piston airplanes on the U.S. aircraft registry, and amateur builders are adding about 1,000 new experimentals to the U.S. fleet annually—a figure that rivals the total for FAA-certified piston singles delivered from factories.

Higher performance, lower purchase prices, more and better avionics choices, and reduced maintenance costs are convincing more aircraft buyers to choose existing experimental category airplanes. (The other option is building a kit airplane themselves.)

But how can the buyer of an experimental/amateur-built airplane know an aircraft has been built and maintained properly? Even if the builder supplies all the required paperwork, there’s little to assure that an approved process or materials were used because the process and materials, to a large extent, are the domain of the individual builder.

Syracuse estimates that between 30 and 40 percent of his inspections identify deal-killing flaws. “We see problems that are too expensive to fix,” he said. The same is true for flight testing. Unlike standard category aircraft that are typically flown and approved for service by trained production test pilots, those who perform the initial test flights on experimental airplanes aren’t required to have specialized training. At the conclusion of the phase one test period (which typically ranges between 25 and 40 flight hours) the pilot makes a logbook entry stating the experimental aircraft is “controllable throughout its normal range of speeds,” and that it has “no hazardous operating characteristics or design features, and is safe for operation.”

Vic Syracuse, founder of Base Leg Aviation, a company that specializes in prepurchase inspections and maintenance of experimental aircraft, says no two are identical. “Each airplane is assembled and modified differently,” said Syracuse, who has performed more than 1,000 prepurchase inspections on Van’s Aircraft models alone. “You really want to find someone who understands the construction process and where to look for errors. That kind of expertise is critical.”

Construction quality, materials, engines, and accessories vary widely on experimental airplanes. Some builders are master craftsmen with decades of aircraft construction and maintenance experience. Others have little or no technical training. But just because a builder has experience doesn’t guarantee everything is done right. “I’ve seen mistakes from experienced builders,” Syracuse said. “No one pointed out to them that they did it wrong the first time.”

Base Leg Aviation prebuy inspections are unusual in that the company evaluates the airplane and produces a detailed report on it—but the report isn’t specifically for a buyer or seller. It simply takes a hard look at the status of the airplane, components, and paperwork, and it notes whether applicable service bulletins have been complied with.

Syracuse estimates that between 30 and 40 percent of his inspections identify deal-killing flaws. “We see problems that are too expensive to fix,” he said.

“Even the pros need someone with fresh eyes to come in for inspections,” Syracuse said. “An outsider can catch things that they don’t see.” For fabric-covered aircraft, that can be the result of the builder improperly “mixing and matching” different chemical processes that result in weak bonds. In fiberglass airplanes, the builder might not have kept resin samples that can show the material’s strength as it ages. In metal airplanes, it can be poor riveting or corrosion.

A cottage industry of professional “builder-assist” shops has been formed to provide technical help to builders during the construction process. But even that’s not a guarantee that every construction task has been performed according to plans.

“Even the pros need someone with fresh eyes to come in for inspections,” Syracuse said. “An outsider can catch things that they don’t see.”

Documentation is a common problem area. Builders or subsequent owners may have changed propellers, added supplemental fuel tanks, painted the exterior, altered the interior, changed batteries, or made other substitutions that significantly changed the aircraft’s weight and center of gravity. Also, purchasers of experimental airplanes don’t have the authority to perform yearly condition inspections or make alterations. Only builders with FAA repairmen’s certificates or airframe and powerplant mechanics can do those jobs.

Kit aircraft themselves have changed dramatically over time. In the 1960s and 1970s, aircraft kits were collections of metal tubing and hardware. Builders were required to read blueprints, weld, and perform intricate woodwork, fabric stitching and covering, and myriad other skilled tasks. Finished aircraft were typically mechanically simple and had relatively low performance.

That changed in the 1980s and 1990s as kit builders like Stoddard-Hamilton and Lancair began offering sleek, composite aircraft that flew higher and faster than production models, and the kits themselves were far more complete.

Now, kits range from the light sport category Van’s Aircraft RV–12 that contains pre-drilled, stamped parts that builders assemble with hand tools to the Epic LT, a pressurized, six-seat, 1,200-horsepower, 300-knot turboprop that sells for more than $1 million. (Epic also produces an FAA-certified version of the same airplane.)

Syracuse says the process of buying an airplane is much the same regardless of whether it’s FAA certified or experimental. Buyers should get a prepurchase inspection by a trusted expert, make sure the logs are complete, and realize that experimental airplanes have far more variation and require a closer look than FAA-certified models.

“A prebuy inspection is a must on any aircraft purchase,” he said. “That’s especially true on an experimental aircraft—and the person who performs the inspection has got to have in-depth knowledge about the type of aircraft being evaluated. Any [airframe and powerplant] mechanic won’t do.”

Email [email protected]

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Stealthy High-Tech Model 437 Vanguard Jet Has Flown For The First Time (Updated)

The first known prototype of the Model 437 from Northrop Grumman subsidiary Scaled Composites has flown. The design has been in development as an advanced “loyal wingman” air combat drone since at least 2021 , but this initial example interestingly emerged earlier this month with a cockpit, as you can read more about in The War Zone ‘s previous reporting here .

See the update at the bottom of this story for new information.

Friend of The War Zone Matt Hartman caught the aircraft, which carries the U.S. civil registration number N437VN, flying for the first time from Mojave Air And Space Port in California, earlier today.

OH MY!!!! looks like the Scaled Model437 has takin to the skies for the first time!! #avgeek 08-29-24 pic.twitter.com/6PAfHT1hde — Matt Hartman (@ShorealoneFilms) August 29, 2024

Publicly available online flight tracking data also shows N437VN’s flight.

Quick look chart for the Scaled Composites Model 437 first flight today pic.twitter.com/ywYD9BsL90 — AISC (@FlightSimIt) August 29, 2024

Details about the Model 437 and its development status remain murky, although it was designed to fulfill some of the U.S. military’s advanced unmanned combat aircraft needs, most likely including the Collaborative Air Combat (CCA) mission set. Exports are also a growing possibility for at least some of the USAF’s CCA aircraft. The War Zone has reached out to Northrop Grumman and Scaled Composites for more information about the aircraft, including background on this test article’s crewed configuration.

As we previously wrote :

“The aircraft, which sports the registry N437VN (certified in January of this year, according to FAA data), features a bowless bubble canopy, a pointed nose with a semi-trapezoidal fuselage, mid-set swept wings, a long dorsal air intake that hugs the rear of the canopy, a distinct chine-line that wraps around the airframe, trailing-link landing gear, and a splayed v-tail adorned in a camouflage pattern. The aircraft also features a round exhaust and a long air data probe, which is customary for initial flight testing and is also visible on its nose. Once again, it looks very much like the Model 437 renderings, just with a bubble canopy. Overall, paired with its small size, it has a very futuristic, almost movie-prop-like look.”

“As we laid out in our initial report on the Model 437 concept art, this design clearly evolved from Scaled Composites’ Model 401 demonstrators , which themselves evolved, at least inspirationally, f rom the company’s ARES demonstrator . The Model 401 is also now touted as having the potential to be offered alongside the Model 437 in an unmanned production configuration .”

Back in 2021 , the Model 437’s expected specifications were also described as such:

“ With regards to the new Model 437 design, it is also expected to have a range of some 3,000 nautical miles when carrying a load of 4,000 pounds of fuel, and will be able to cruise at around 0.8 Mach, according to Aviation Week. The drone has an internal centerline payload bay that is designed to carry up to 1,000 pounds of stores or other systems, as well. The outlet said that a pair of  AIM-120  Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) or a side-looking radar imaging sensor were two possible loadouts. “

Whether or not those design goals have changed since then is unknown. Making a prototype that is piloted, or at least pilot-optional, offers major benefits for flight testing and other development work, especially given current restrictions on where and when full uncrewed designs can operate within U.S. airspace. An optionally crewed configuration could have operational utility, as well. You can read more about all of this in our previous piece on N437VN .

For an added-on canopy, it's still pretty sleek looking #N437VN pic.twitter.com/hE7HfTfifS — TaskForce23 (@Task_Force23) August 25, 2024

With N437VN now flying, hopefully more information about the Model 437, and Northrop Grumman and Scaled Composites’ current plans for the design, will begin to emerge.

UPDATE: 4:20 PM EST —

Scaled Composites has now confirmed in a press release that N437VN “is a crewed variant of the original [Model 437] concept” that is also now named Vanguard.

“The Model 437 Vanguard is… powered by a single Pratt & Whitney 535 engine with approximately 3,400 pounds of thrust. The aircraft has a wingspan of 41 feet and is 41 feet long with a gross takeoff weight of 10,000 pounds,” according to Scaled Composites. “After completion of envelope expansion, the M437 Vanguard will have a range of approximately 3,000 nautical miles and an endurance of 6 hours. The aircraft can carry up to 2,000 pounds of payload in multiple locations including an internal weapons bay sized to accommodate two AIM-120s.”

“Scaled Composites leveraged extensive experience in rapid design, fabrication, and test of experimental aircraft to develop the Model 437 Vanguard,” the press release from the Northrop Grumman subsidiary adds. “This included a clean sheet aircraft design, aerodynamic and structural analysis, fuselage and empennage fabrication, aircraft assembly, systems integration, and ground and flight test execution. Northrop Grumman defined, developed, built and verified the removable wing assemblies using advanced digital tools and processes as part of their Digital Pathfinder effort.”

Northrop Grumman has put out its own press release focused on the Digital Pathfinder aspect of the development of the Model 437 Vanguard, which it also described as a “technology demonstrator.”

“Development began in the fully connected digital ecosystem with Northrop Grumman, the customer and supplier users collaborating to develop, analyze, build and test the wings ahead of the Model 437’s first flight, which occurred on August 29,” according to the release. “The Digital Pathfinder project demonstrated how the company’s fully digital engineering ecosystem reduces engineering rework, accelerates schedule and reduces costs, offering advantages to customers on future aircraft programs.”

“By utilizing real-world experiences gained on programs, including the B-21 Raider, the company continues to evolve its collaborative digital ecosystem, which connects the company, customers and supplier partners through the design, development and test phases on a variety of current and future programs,” it continues. “The digital ecosystem cut engineering rework and redesign to less than one percent, compared to the 15-20% experienced using traditional methods. The demonstration also leveraged high-fidelity models combined with rigorous and approved model validation schemes to reduce requirements for ground and flight tests. Looking forward, these models show the potential to significantly reduce the workload required to determine airworthiness, offering further cost and schedule savings opportunities.”

“Through Digital Pathfinder, Northrop Grumman’s high integrity digital thread connected engineers, customers and stakeholders in a virtual environment, allowing them to proactively foresee and solve the types of problems that typically plague acquisition programs up front and early — greatly improving program performance,” the release adds. “The demonstration also utilized advanced manufacturing techniques, including the production of a titanium structural bracket using plasma arc energy deposition. The application of this innovative additive manufacturing technique to form a titanium part is believed to be a first in the defense industry. At the same time, the Digital Pathfinder project applied advanced techniques to reduce the requirements for hard tooling while improving first time quality and reducing manufacturing rework.”

Contact the author: [email protected]

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Experiment supersonic, three-legged stool, “que” the supersonic technology.

There was a demon that lived in the air. They said whoever challenged him would die. Their controls would freeze up. Their planes would buffet wildly and they would disintegrate. The demon lived at Mach 1 on the meter, 750 miles an hour, where the air could no longer move out of the way. He lived behind a barrier through which they said no man could ever pass. They called it the sound barrier. Then they built a small plane, the X-1, to try to break the sound barrier. And men came to the high desert of California to ride it. They were called test pilots. And no one knew their names.

the right stuff

History is about to repeat itself.

There have been periods of time during the past seven decades – some busier than others – when the nation’s best minds in aviation designed, built and flew a series of experimental airplanes to test the latest fanciful and practical ideas related to flight.

Individually each of these pioneering aircraft has its own story of triumph and setback – even tragedy. Each was made by different companies and operated by a different mix of government organizations for a myriad of purposes.

Short wings. Long wings. Delta-shaped wings. Forward swept wings. Scissor wings. Big tails. No tails. High speed. Low speed. Jet propulsion. Rocket propulsion. Even nuclear propulsion – although that technology was never actually flown.

Together they are known as X-planes – or X-vehicles, since some were missiles or spacecraft – and the very mention of them prompts a warm feeling and a touch of nostalgia among aviation enthusiasts worldwide.

“They certainly are all interesting in their own way. Each one of them has a unique place in aviation that helps them make their mark in history,” said Bill Barry, NASA’s chief historian. “And they are really cool.”

And now, NASA’s aeronautical innovators once again are preparing to put in the sky an array of new experimental aircraft , each intended to carry on the legacy of demonstrating advanced technologies that will push back the frontiers of aviation.

Goals include showcasing how airliners can burn half the fuel and generate 75 percent less pollution during each flight as compared to now, while also being much quieter than today’s jets – perhaps even when flying supersonic.

NASA’s renewed emphasis on X-planes is called, “New Aviation Horizons,” an initiative announced in February as part of the President’s budget for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, 2016. The plan is to design, build and fly the series of X-planes during the next 10 years as a means to accelerate the adoption of advanced green aviation technologies by industry.

If we can build some of these X-planes and demonstrate some of these technologies, we expect that will make it much easier and faster for U.S. industry to pick them up and roll them out into the marketplace.

Ed Waggoner

NASA’s Integrated Aviation Systems Program Director

It’s something NASA has known how to do going way back to the days of its predecessor organization, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), and the very first X-plane, fittingly called the X-1, a project the NACA worked on with the then newly formed U.S. Air Force.

Built by Bell Aircraft, the X-1 was the first plane to fly faster than the speed of sound, thus breaking the “sound barrier,” a popular but fundamentally misleading term that spoke more to the romantic notion of the challenges of high speed flight than an insurmountable physical wall in the sky.

As colorfully recounted in books and movies such as “The Right Stuff,” it was Oct. 14, 1947 when Air Force Capt. Chuck Yeager, dinged-up ribs and all, climbed into the bright orange Glamorous Glennis and flew the X-1 into its moment in history.

On that day the Antelope Valley, home to Edwards Air Force Base in California, reportedly echoed with its first sonic boom. But whether or not anyone there actually heard a sonic boom, thousands more echoed over the valley in the decades to come as supersonic flight over the military base became routine.

The X-1 also marked the first in what became a long line of experimental aircraft programs managed by the NACA (and later NASA), the Air Force, the Navy, and other government agencies.

The current list of X-planes that have been assigned numbers by the Air Force stands at 56, but that doesn’t mean there have been 56 X-planes.

Some had multiple models using the same number. And still more experimental vehicles were designed, built and flown but were never given X-numbers. And some X-vehicles received numbers but were never built.

The X-52 was skipped altogether because no one wanted to confuse that aircraft with the B-52 bomber.

Moreover, some X-planes weren’t experimental research planes at all, but rather prototypes of production aircraft or spacecraft, further muddying the waters over what is truly considered an X-plane and what isn’t, Barry said.

“They weren’t necessarily thinking there would be a series of X vehicles at the time of the X-1 because you wound up with several modifications, for example, including the A, the B models – which were very different vehicles in many ways,” Barry said.

Examples of experimental aircraft not called X-planes include some of NASA’s lifting bodies , and the Navy’s D-558-II Skyrocket, which pilot Scott Crossfield flew in 1953 to become the first airplane to travel twice the speed of sound, or Mach 2.

And it gets even more confusing: some of the early X-planes were called the XS-1, XS-2 and so on – the XS being short for “experiment, supersonic.” Although it’s not clearly documented, at some point XS became X, because XS sounded too much like “excess,” as in something you don’t need, Barry said.

There also have been airplanes like the XB-70, a supersonic jet demonstrator considered an X-plane in most circles, but officially not part of the 56 X-planes numbered to date by the Air Force.

“In any case, while the X-plane designation has become a very amorphous term through history, it’s a term that people today now identify as being a cutting edge research sort of plane,” Barry said.

Perhaps of all the X-planes NASA has been associated with, none was more cutting edge and became more famous – rivaling even the X-1 – than the X-15 ro cket plane .

“The X-1 was certainly the most historic for being the first and for what it did for supersonic flight. But the X-15 was probably the most productive model of an X-plane,” Barry said.

Flown 199 times between 1959 and 1968, the winged X-15 reached beyond the edge of space at hypersonic speeds, trailblazing design concepts and operational procedures that directly contributed to the development of the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo piloted spaceflight programs, as well as the space shuttle.

Another component of the X-15 success story beyond its contributions to high-speed aviation, Barry explained, is that it was a great example of collaboration between NASA, the rival military services of the Air Force and the Navy.

“This kind of major aeronautical research, which the X-15 represented, often is best done when several organizations contribute to a common goal,” Barry said. “We’re already seeing that as we prepare to fly this next wave of X-planes.”

But in this age of high-speed computers capable of generating sophisticated simulations, and with the availability of world-class wind tunnels to test high-fidelity models, why still the need to fly something like an X-plane?

“It’s a valid question,” Waggoner said.

The answer has to do with what Waggoner describes as the necessity of a “three legged stool” when it comes to aviation research.

One leg represents computational capabilities. This involves the high-speed super computers that can model the physics of air flowing over an object – be it a wing, a rudder or a full airplane – that exists only in the ones and zeros of a simulation.

A second leg represents experimental methods. This is where scientists put what is most often a scale model of an object or part of an object – be it a wing, a rudder or an airplane – in a wind tunnel to take measurements of air flowing over the object.

Measurements taken in the wind tunnel can help improve the computer model, and the computer model can help inform improvements to the airplane design, which can then be tested again in the wind tunnel.

“Each of these is great on its own and each helps the other, but each also can introduce errors into the inferences that might be made based on the results,” Waggoner said. “So the third leg of the stool is to go out and actually fly the design.”

Whether it’s flying an X-plane or a full-scale prototype of a new aircraft, the data recorded in actual flight can then be applied to validate and improve the computational and experimental methods used in developing the design in the first place.

“Now you’ve got three different ways to look at the same problem,” Waggoner said. “It’s only through doing all that together that we will ever get to the point where we’ve lowered the risk enough to completely trust what our numbers are telling us.”

Although it may not wind up being the first of the New Aviation Horizons X-planes to actually fly as part of the three-legged stool of research, design work already has begun on QueSST, short for Quiet Supersonic Technology

A preliminary design contract was awarded in February to a team led by Lockheed Martin. If schedule and congressional funding holds, this new supersonic X-plane could fly in the 2020 timeframe.

QueSST aims to fix something the X-1 first introduced to the flying world nearly 70 years ago – the publicly annoying loud sonic boom.

Recent research has shown it is possible for a supersonic airplane to be shaped in such a way that the shock waves it forms when flying faster than the speed of sound generate a sonic boom so quiet it hardly will be noticed by the public, if at all.

The resulting sonic “boom” has variously been described as like distant thunder, the sound of your neighbor forcefully shutting his car door outside while you are inside, or as the thump of a “supersonic” heartbeat.

“We know the concept is going to work, but now the best way to continue our research is to demonstrate the capability to the public with an X-plane,” said Peter Coen, NASA’s supersonic project manager.

It is hoped data gathered from flying QueSST will help the Federal Aviation Administration and its international counterparts establish noise-related regulations that will make it possible for commercial supersonic airliners to fly over land across country.

“Providing that data will be a key step in bringing accessible and affordable supersonic flight to the traveling public,” Coen said.

Meanwhile, other experimental aircraft also are under consideration, including those with novel shapes that break the mold of the traditional tube and wing airplane, and others that are propelled by hybrid electric power.

Exactly what these X-planes will look like, how they will be operated and where they will be flown all have yet to be precisely defined.

“We’re going to let the marketplace and the community help us inform our decisions on the direction we want to go,” Waggoner said. “But we’re really excited about all of the things we might demonstrate.”

Interestingly, despite these future test aircraft being referred to as X-planes, it is entirely possible only some of them will actually get an official X-plane number designation – or perhaps none of them will.

“We just don’t know yet,” Waggoner said. “That decision likely won’t take place for each aircraft until we’re about to award the construction contract.”

So whether NASA winds up calling these new planes by an X-number or a catchy acronym – or both – one thing is clear: NASA’s flight research program is on its way to creating a renaissance of an exciting era in aviation research.

About the Author

Jim Banke is a veteran aviation and aerospace communicator with more than 35 years of experience as a writer, producer, consultant, and project manager based at Cape Canaveral, Florida. He is part of NASA Aeronautics' Strategic Communications Team and is Managing Editor for the Aeronautics topic on the NASA website.

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