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

Boom Supersonic says its XB-1 aircraft achieved supersonic flight without an audible sonic boom on the ground below. CEO Blake Scholl hopes supersonic passenger flight will eventually be allowed in the U.

During the demonstration flight on January 28, 2025, the XB-1 broke the sound barrier three times, but not one of those occasions caused an audible sonic boom. “This confirms what we’ve long believed,” says Blake Scholl, founder and CEO of Boom. “Supersonic travel can be affordable, sustainable, and friendly to those onboard and on the ground.”