Lockheed Martin is testing the design of a new jet in Fort Worth that will be able to travel faster than the speed of sound without creating a sonic boom. The X-59 is a collaborative project with NASA.
"We distributed the width of this airplane along its entire length," Eric Schrock, Lockheed Martin Skunk Works project management director said. "It has small foreplanes in the front by the canopy. We even designed the wings such that they create the lift we need while minimizing the shock waves. Even the nose of the airplane is flat on the bottom to minimize lift as well."
To provide a smoother structure, there is no canopy, so the pilot cannot see over the top of the plane.
"Because of that, we use computers to give forward vision of the airplane," Schrock said. "That allows us not to have shockwaves coming off the top a canopy would produce."
Because of the design, NASA's Craig Nickol says the shockwaves do not reach the ground and converge to create a "sonic boom."
"What happens, when you fly supersonic, you generate these shock waves. The shock waves travel like pressure waves, almost like the wake of a boat on a lake. These waves travel all the way to the ground and create a boom which disturbs people," Nickol said.
Nickol compares the sound that will be created by the X-59 to a car door closing down the street.
"It's kind of just the start," Nickol said. "It's almost like the start of a whole new era."
Lockheed is testing the structure, fuel, and design at its plant in Fort Worth. A first flight is expected later this year. Lockheed and NASA will get feedback from four to six communities starting in 2024. That information will be presented to the FAA and international regulators to seek clearance for supersonic flight over land.
"It's a lot of moving parts," NASA Low Boom Flight Demonstration Mission Deputy Project Manager Cathy Bahm said.
Bahm said supersonic flight could cut some passenger flight times in half.
"NASA feels that it's a game-changer for international and commercial flights in the U.S.," Bahm said. "That's important for all of us because we would all love to get to our vacations and travel plans in half the time."
Lockheed's Schrock says the company's Skunk Works unit has focused on research and development, leading to the U2 spy plane and F-117 Stealth Bomber.
"These are iconic things that changed the course of aviation history and, in some ways, impacted the nation's history as well," Schrock said. "This is another one of those long line of innovations coming from the Skunk Works. We're really happy to be able to work with NASA on this. Things like this show there are a lot of advances we still have left to make in aeronautics in general, and that's really exciting."
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