XB-1 completes eighth flight with innovative shark skin underbelly

Boom Supersonic has announced that its supersonic demonstrator, the XB-1, completed its eighth flight on November 16. The aircraft featured a new shark skin-like underbelly designed to reduce drag, fuel consumption, and emissions. This material was developed by MicroTau, an Australian company, in collaboration with the Defense Innovation Unit of the United States Air Force Operational Energy Office.

During this flight, Boom Supersonic confirmed that the XB-1 performed safely at speeds of Mach 0.80 without the stability augmentation system. The company emphasized the challenge of designing a stable and fast supersonic aircraft. "One of the major accomplishments of the XB-1 program was converging on a design that does not rely on computerized augmentation to stay safe in the air," Boom Supersonic stated.

The company plans to push the XB-1 to transonic and supersonic speeds in future tests. "An aircraft flying between Mach 0.8 and 1.2 is flying transonic," Boom Supersonic explained, noting that commercial jets are typically built to cruise at lower speeds around Mach 0.85.