X-59 Supersonic Plane

We revealed the X-59 to the world on Jan. 12.

Quieting the Sonic Boom

In collaboration with NASA's Quesst Mission, the Lockheed Martin Skunk Works® team is solving one of the most persistent challenges of supersonic flight – the sonic boom.

The X-59 will be used to collect community response data on the acceptability of a quiet sonic boom generated by the unique design of the aircraft. The data will help NASA provide regulators with the information needed to establish an acceptable commercial supersonic noise standard to lift the ban on commercial supersonic travel over land.

This breakthrough would open the door to an entirely new global market for aircraft manufacturers, enabling passengers to travel anywhere in the world in half the time it takes today. 

One Step Closer to First Flight: Revealing The X-59   ___
This video highlights the reveal event of the X-59 quiet supersonic jet. With NASA, we showed the world the first look of the future of commercial supersonic flight over land.
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X-59 All The Time

Witness the journey of the X-59 from design to rollout through X-59 All The Time!

X-59 All The Time: Skunk Works® Selected

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X-59 All The Time: Digital Transformation Rapidly Advances X-59

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X-59 All The Time: It's COBRA Time

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X-59 All The Time: X-59 Present

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X-59 All The Time: Let's Flex

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X-59 All The Time: Powering The Future

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X-59 All the Time: X-Plane in 60 Seconds

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X-59 All The Time: Final Assembly

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X-59 in the News   ___
Mar 17, 2020
Story
Right now the X-59 program team is hard at work, deploying the latest advanced manufacturing technologies to build the experimental airplane.
Third Party Article
NASA said today it has reached a “significant milestone” in a project to create an ultra-quiet supersonic passenger jet. The space agency has completed a preliminary design review of its QueSST aircraft concept and found that it is capable of fulfilling objectives for what NASA calls “Low Boom Flight Demonstration,” which basically means it should be able to fly at supersonic speeds without that noisy sonic boom.
Third Party Article
The Quiet Supersonic Transport (QueSST) design aims to reduce the sonic boom that occurs as these aircraft move faster than the speed of sound, with hopes to bring it down to a soft 'thump' to allow for flights over land. Experts from NASA and Lockheed Martin now say the QueSST design could meet these requirements, and say flight tests could begin as early as 2021.
Media Kit   ___
Media Contact
Shane Nicholson
+1 (817) 653-5918
Skunk Works®   ___

 

At Lockheed Martin Skunk Works®, your mission defines our purpose. Our team of dedicated engineers and scientists assume it can be done. With a visionary focus on the future, we partner with our customers to anticipate tomorrow’s capability gaps and technology needs to solve the most critical national security challenges today.