Latest news with #PaulDees
Euronews
03-04-2025
- Business
- Euronews
What we know about China's plans for a new supersonic jet that can fly 50% further than Concorde
ADVERTISEMENT China has entered the race to usher in a new golden age of supersonic air travel with plans to build an airliner that will rival the Concorde, according to local media. As per reporting by the South China Morning Post, China's Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) has revealed blueprints for the C949 - a 1.6-Mach jet that could fly further and more quickly than the Concorde - in a recent academic paper. The paper said the project looked to achieve a 50 per cent range boost over the Concorde and is designed to make the plane fly as quietly as the noise level of a hairdryer. It will do this with a curved plane body that will weaken shockwaves to delay violent booms that could come from the aircraft, the SCMP report continued. Related New York to London in just over 3 hours: Is this net zero supersonic jet the future of air travel? Reducing the noise levels is a way for the plane to try and bypass regulatory barriers that ban supersonic flights, SCMP continued. Euronews Next is trying to independently verify these claims by reaching out to the academic journal that published the findings as well as COMAC but has not received any replies at the time of publication. Concorde flew just under 50,000 flights for carrier British Airline during its 26-year career. Dave Caulin/AP Other supersonic crafts in the works The Concorde, an Anglo-French supersonic airliner that first took to the skies on a test flight in 1969, made just under 50,000 flights for carrier British Airways during its 26-year career. The craft, with a maximum cruising speed of Mach 2.04 (around 2,180 km/h), boasted a flight time from London to New York of less than 3.5 hours instead of the regular 8 hours for a subsonic flight. There hasn't been a non-military supersonic aircraft in service since Concorde's retirement in 2003 but there are other supersonic projects now in the works, like the X-59, a joint venture between the US Space Agency, NASA, and US-based manufacturer Lockheed Martin. Related The 'quiet' jet from NASA that could usher in a new era of supersonic air travel Revealed last year, the aircraft flies at 55,000 feet (over 16,700 m) and produces sound equivalent to a car door closing, according to the jet's designers. The X-59 is designed to travel at speeds of Mach 1.4 (around 1,730 km/h), slower than Concorde and the proposed Chinese C949. In March, NASA announced that the X-59 successfully passed an engine speed hold, or cruise control test, a last step before a first flight that should happen later this year. A mock-up of Boom's Overture aircraft in commercial service at Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport, France. Boom Supersonic "We needed to verify that speed hold worked not just within the engine itself but as part of the entire aircraft system," Paul Dees, NASA's X-59 deputy propulsion lead at the agency's Armstrong Flight Research Center, said in a statement. "This test confirmed that all components – software, mechanical linkages, and control laws – work together as intended". Related Bombardier unveils 'fastest passenger jet since the Concorde' following supersonic test Private company Boom Supersonic wants to launch its supersonic jet, the Overture, before the end of the decade. ADVERTISEMENT In test craft XB-1's first test flight in January , the aircraft flew up to 1,207 km/h to an altitude of over 35,000 feet (10,600 m) and was able to land without a sonic boom, the company said. There has already been commercial interest in the Overture, with Boom having already signed deals with United Airlines , American Airlines, and Japan Airlines to deliver the aircraft once it meets the required safety standards. The European Commission funded several projects to study noise reduction and the environmental impacts of supersonic flights, like the 2022 RUMBLE project, the 2020 SENECA project, and the ongoing MORE AND LESS project.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
NASA's X-59 'quiet' supersonic jet aces key 'cruise control' test ahead of 1st flight
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. NASA's new X-59 supersonic jet is a step closer to flight after passing an important ground test in March. Known as "engine speed hold," the test ensured that the X-59 can maintain a specific speed when it flies for the first time later this year. "Engine speed hold is essentially the aircraft's version of cruise control," Paul Dees, NASA's X-59 deputy propulsion lead at Armstrong Flight Research Center in California, said in a statement. "The pilot engages speed hold at their current speed, then can adjust it incrementally up or down as needed." The X-59 team tested the "cruise control" function earlier as an isolated system. But an aircraft's many systems must work in harmony during flight. For this recent test, the team used the speed hold after integrating it more widely into the X-59's avionics system. Related: NASA's X-59 quiet supersonic jet clears 'major hurdle' ahead of 1st flight (photos) "We needed to verify that speed hold worked not just within the engine itself but as part of the entire aircraft system," Dees said. "This test confirmed that all components — software, mechanical linkages, and control laws — work together as intended." NASA and Lockheed Martin have been working on the X-59 for a while. It was developed under NASA's Quesst (Quiet SuperSonic Technology) program. The aircraft is designed to hit supersonic speeds without creating an audible sonic boom, a typical side effect of supersonic flight. Because sonic booms are disruptive, supersonic flight is prohibited over populated areas in the U.S. The quiet X-59 could therefore advance the goal of flying at supersonic speeds across the country. In February, NASA and Lockheed Martin conducted electromagnetic interference tests on the X-59. The test made sure that the aircraft's onboard sensors, radio and navigation equipment all worked without interfering with each other. RELATED STORIES: — NASA unveils its revolutionary X-59 Quesst 'quiet' supersonic jet (photos, video) — NASA will fly F-15s through supersonic shock waves behind its experimental X-59 jet — NASA's new supersonic X-59 jet hits the afterburner (photos) In January, the X-59 team tested the aircraft's afterburner, which injects more fuel into the jet engine's hot exhaust. This test verified engine performance, to ensure that the X-59 can meet the requirements for supersonic speed. This latest test confirmed that the X-59 can cruise at a precise speed, which frees up the pilot to do other work during the flight. NASA said that cruising speed is also important for pilot safety. "The pilot is going to be very busy during first flight, ensuring the aircraft is stable and controllable," Dees said. "Having speed hold offload some of that workload makes first flight that much safer."
