For the first time since Concorde Civilian prototype breaks the sound barrier
The race for the civilian supersonic aircraft of the future has long since begun. Start-ups and aviation companies are experimenting with test vehicles. But will we soon really be flying faster than the speed of sound?
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- With the Mk-II Aurora rocket plane, the New Zealand start-up Dawn Aerospace has successfully brought a civilian aircraft to supersonic speed for the first time since the Concorde.
- In addition to Dawn Aerospace, Lockheed Martin, NASA and Boom Supersonic are also developing supersonic jets.
- The race for the return of supersonic passenger jets is in full swing. The video shows the most advanced prototypes on the hunt for speed records.
They are set to return: After the Concorde was taken out of service in 2003, supersonic flight was reserved exclusively for military jets. That is now changing.
The rocket-powered aircraft Mk-II Aurora from the New Zealand company Dawn Aerospace has now flown faster than sound for the first time. In a test, the aircraft reached Mach 1.1 and climbed to an altitude of 25 kilometers. This is more than twice the altitude of a commercial airliner and the first time since Concorde that a civilian aircraft has flown supersonically, the Wellington-based start-up announced.
The race is on
However, the New Zealanders are not the only ones working on the first supersonic passenger jet of the 21st century. In addition to established manufacturers such as Lockheed Martin and NASA, the American start-up Boom Supersonic is also making a name for itself. This November, its flying technology carrier XB-1 was able to take off on another test flight.
In the video above, we introduce you to the most promising competitors in the battle for a new hypersonic passenger aircraft and explore the question of whether such jets will soon be taking off on regular scheduled flights.
