The US Civil Aviation Authority (FAA) approved Boom Supersonic to conduct its first supersonic test flights on April 16, 2024. The prototype will soon conduct its first test flights in this speed range.

The XB1 demonstrator took to the air on March 22, 2022 for testing purposes. However, from the Mojave site onwards, the flight only flew at subsonic speeds. According to official information, a maximum altitude of 7.120 feet was reached at a maximum of 236 knots. After this test flight was successful, the FAA applied to be allowed to carry out supersonic test flights. The necessary approval was received for this on April 16, 2024.

Boom Supersonic specializes in developing new supersonic aircraft for commercial passenger flights. It is believed that there has been a gap in the market since the last Concorde jets were decommissioned. It is a very ambitious project, because even during the Concorde era, purchasing demand was only within very narrow limits.

The supersonic phase of Boom's XB-1 test campaign will take place in the Black Mountain Supersonic Corridor and portions of the High Altitude Supersonic Corridor. The latter is part of the airspace over the Mojave Desert that is regularly used for military and scientific supersonic tests. Several major military installations are located nearby, including Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, and Edwards Air Force Base. Before that happens, Boom Supersonic wants to carry out up to 20 test flights at subsonic speeds.

You then want to gradually approach the maximum speed. With each test flight, a further level from Mach 1 to Mach 1,3 is to be tested. According to the company's own information, this would also be necessary because the airspace approved by the FAA to carry out the tests would be too small to be able to try out all stages in one flight.