Lockheed Martin rolls out X-59 supersonic X-Plane

On Jan. 12, Lockheed Martin Skunk Works (Palmdale, Calif., U.S.) rolled out the X-59, a composites-intensive experimental aircraft designed for quiet supersonic flight. The company has been working on its design, manufacture, assembly and testing for more than 9 years under NASA’s (Washington, D.C., U.S.) Low-Boom Flight Demonstration project. (Learn more about its design here).

According to John Clark, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, “This project is just one example of the broader ingenuity of our industry as we continually strive to push the envelope of what’s possible.” The X-59’s features have been specifically designed to “reshape” shock waves that occur during flight of the aircraft, resulting in a quiet sonic “thump.”

During its rollout ceremony, Lockheed Martin, NASA and government leaders celebrated its technical advancements, collaboration and innovation that stemmed from years of research, development and production of the “one-of-a-kind” technology demonstrator aircraft.

“The entire X-59 team leaned into the expertise of both legendary organizations, NASA and Lockheed Martin, to ensure success for this program,” adds Greg Ulmer, executive vice president of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics.

Next, the aircraft will complete ground tests including engine-run and taxi tests before its next major milestone, first flight, later this year. After the aircraft is validated in initial flight tests, it will move into the acoustic testing phase. This phase will include flights over populated areas to provide U.S. and international regulators with statistically valid data required to help approve new rules that could allow quiet commercial supersonic flight over land. This would cut commercial flight times to half of what they are today.

For additional information on the X-59, visit Lockheed Martin’s website.