Latest news with #F414-GE-100
The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- Science
- The Irish Sun
NASA's ‘Son of Concorde' jet that will HALVE flight time from US to London step closer to take-off with runway test
NASA's supersonic "Son of Concorde" plane which will halve the travel time between London and New York is zooming ever closer to take-off. The X-59 jet will even 5 Concept illustration of the X-59 shooting through the sky Credit: SWNS 5 Nasa and Lockheed Martin are speeding ahead with tests of the supersonic X-59 jet Credit: Lockheed Martin / Gary Tice 5 The 30m-long and 9m-wide plane has a sharp, stiletto-style nose Credit: Alamy When up and running, Nasa revealed it struck The X-59 moved around purely under its own power for the first time at US Air Force Plant 42 on July 10. Taxiing is the final stage of ground tests before Nasa can take it up into the skies - and the maiden voyage is chalked for later this year. read more in tech Over the coming weeks, pilots will gradually increase the speed on the runway - leading to high-speed manoeuvres when it will travel fast enough to take off. Engineers tested key systems like steering and breaking during the low-speed run through. Nasa said: "These checks help ensure the aircraft's stability and control across a range of conditions, giving pilots and engineers confidence that all systems are functioning as expected." The X-59 is the crown jewel in Most read in Science Instead, the X-59 will produce a much quieter sonic "thump". Currently, commercial passenger planes are banned from going at such speeds – if they were able to – over land in the UK and US on account of the noise levels. Near-supersonic jet that can fly London-New York at speeds 'not seen since Concorde' unveiled with luxury living spaces The 30m-long and 9m-wide X-59 has a sharp, stiletto-style nose that engineers believe will reduce the noise The space agency believes their new jet could fly from London to New York in three-and-a-half hours. Lori Ozoroski, a project manager at Nasa, previously said: "We had a commercial supersonic aircraft, the Concorde. "But it was limited during its flights that it could not fly, say into, you know, somewhere in the middle of the U.S. "You were not allowed to fly supersonic over land. 5 The jet's F414-GE-100 engine is mounted on top of the aircraft Credit: Lockheed Martin / Gary Tice 5 The X-59 has a sharp nose designed to reduce the sonic boom Credit: Reuters "So most of the flights were back and forth just over the ocean. And so again, that ban has been in place for 50 years, over 50 years in the US. "A lot of international countries as well have similar bans. "And so the whole goal of this research that we're doing right now is to lift that ban and set a speed limit for commercial supersonic aircraft rather than a speed limit." Lori added: "The sound level is more like – we've done studies – it's more like a car door closing, you know, across the street at your neighbour's house rather than the very loud typical sonic boom." Supersonic and Hypersonic Jets There are several types of hypersonic and supersonic jets. A breakdown of what's been happening in the industry and what's expected in the coming years. Talon-A Built by Stratolaunch Reported speeds of Mach 5 The first test flight conducted in 2024 Built by Nasa and Lockheed Martin Predicted max speeds of Mach 1.4 The first test flight in 2025 - but subject to delays Built by Venus Aerospace and Velontra Predicted max speeds of Mach 6 First test flight in 2025 Built by Hermeus Predicted max speeds of Mach 2.5 First test flight in 2026 Built by Hermeus Predicted max speeds of Mach 5 First test flight by 2030 Built by China's hypersonic plane programme Predicted max speeds of Mach 6 First test flight in 2025 Built by Hypersonix Launch Systems Predicted max speeds of Mach 7 First test flight in 2025
Scottish Sun
3 days ago
- Science
- Scottish Sun
NASA's ‘Son of Concorde' jet that will HALVE flight time from US to London step closer to take-off with runway test
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) NASA's supersonic "Son of Concorde" plane which will halve the travel time between London and New York is zooming ever closer to take-off. The X-59 jet will even break the sound barrier when it flies - but won't produce a sonic boom, thanks to its unique design. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 Concept illustration of the X-59 shooting through the sky Credit: SWNS 5 Nasa and Lockheed Martin are speeding ahead with tests of the supersonic X-59 jet Credit: Lockheed Martin / Gary Tice 5 The 30m-long and 9m-wide plane has a sharp, stiletto-style nose Credit: Alamy When up and running, the aircraft will hurtle along at altitudes of at speeds of 937mph at 55,000 feet up. Nasa revealed it struck another milestone in the plane's journey toward the skies with crucial low-speed taxiing tests. The X-59 moved around purely under its own power for the first time at US Air Force Plant 42 on July 10. Taxiing is the final stage of ground tests before Nasa can take it up into the skies - and the maiden voyage is chalked for later this year. Over the coming weeks, pilots will gradually increase the speed on the runway - leading to high-speed manoeuvres when it will travel fast enough to take off. Engineers tested key systems like steering and breaking during the low-speed run through. Nasa said: "These checks help ensure the aircraft's stability and control across a range of conditions, giving pilots and engineers confidence that all systems are functioning as expected." The X-59 is the crown jewel in Nasa's Quesst mission - which aims to prove supersonic flight is possible without a deafening sonic boom. Instead, the X-59 will produce a much quieter sonic "thump". Currently, commercial passenger planes are banned from going at such speeds – if they were able to – over land in the UK and US on account of the noise levels. Near-supersonic jet that can fly London-New York at speeds 'not seen since Concorde' unveiled with luxury living spaces The 30m-long and 9m-wide X-59 has a sharp, stiletto-style nose that engineers believe will reduce the noise The space agency believes their new jet could fly from London to New York in three-and-a-half hours. Lori Ozoroski, a project manager at Nasa, previously said: "We had a commercial supersonic aircraft, the Concorde. "But it was limited during its flights that it could not fly, say into, you know, somewhere in the middle of the U.S. "You were not allowed to fly supersonic over land. 5 The jet's F414-GE-100 engine is mounted on top of the aircraft Credit: Lockheed Martin / Gary Tice 5 The X-59 has a sharp nose designed to reduce the sonic boom Credit: Reuters "So most of the flights were back and forth just over the ocean. And so again, that ban has been in place for 50 years, over 50 years in the US. "A lot of international countries as well have similar bans. "And so the whole goal of this research that we're doing right now is to lift that ban and set a speed limit for commercial supersonic aircraft rather than a speed limit." Lori added: "The sound level is more like – we've done studies – it's more like a car door closing, you know, across the street at your neighbour's house rather than the very loud typical sonic boom."
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
NASA's new supersonic X-59 jet hits the afterburner (photos)
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. NASA's X-59 supersonic jet looks ready for some serious speed in new photos. Lockheed Martin has been building the X-59 for NASA, as part of a project to develop a "quiet" supersonic aircraft that can break the sound barrier without producing the thunderous sonic booms typically associated with faster-than-sound flight. Both NASA and Lockheed Martin recently released photos of the X-59 "quiet" supersonic jet conducting tests of its afterburner, a system that injects extra fuel into the hot exhaust of a jet engine. "The X-59 — precision, power and engineering excellence, all on full display," Lockheed Martin said in a post on X accompanying a new photo of the aircraft. In the new photos, the X-59 sits in a hangar at Lockheed Martin's storied Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California while performing afterburner engine run tests. The tests were aimed at verifying the performance of the X-59's General Electric F414-GE-100 jet engine, a modified version of the engine used in Boeing's F/A-18 Super Hornet flown by the U.S. Navy. "Running the engine, an F414-GE-100, with afterburner will allow the X-59 to meet its supersonic speed requirements. The test demonstrated the engine's ability to operate within temperature limits and with adequate airflow for flight," NASA wrote in a statement in December 2024 along with a photo of an afterburner test. The tests also verified how well the engine performed with the other subsystems on the aircraft, the agency added. RELATED STORIES: — NASA unveils its revolutionary X-59 Quesst 'quiet' supersonic jet (photos, video) — NASA is 'learning to listen to the X-59' by simulating sonic thumps with fighter jets (photos) — NASA will fly F-15s through supersonic shock waves behind its experimental X-59 jet When NASA and Lockheed Martin complete ground testing and verify the X-59's flight readiness, the jet will begin flight testing. During the flight test campaign, NASA will fly F-15s behind the X-59 equipped with specially designed air probes that will measure the shockwaves produced as the X-59 breaks the sound barrier. From there, the agency plans to fly the X-59 over select residential areas in the United States in order to gather data on the public's reaction to and perception of the quieter "thumps" it produces when in supersonic flight. The X-59 was developed as part of NASA's Quesst program (Quiet SuperSonic Technology), which aims to develop aircraft that can break the sound barrier without producing thunderous sonic booms. Supersonic flight over populated areas has been prohibited for decades because of how disruptive the booms are to the public on the ground. If successful, programs such as Quesst could help get supersonic flight approved once again for commercial purposes, greatly reducing flight time for a wide range of civilian applications.
