Posted on 07/19/2025 12:03:36 PM PDT by know.your.why
NASA and Lockheed Martin have begun initial taxi tests of the X-59 Quest quiet supersonic research aircraft, marking another step toward its long-anticipated first flight.
The aircraft moved under its own engine power for the first time on July 10 at Lockheed Martin’s Palmdale, California, facility and conducted a series of low-speed taxi tests, says Brian Griffin, NASA’s X-59 project lead flight test engineer.
“It started with a very slow ramp taxi, just for basic ground handling characteristics of the airplane, and then that proceeded on to a low-speed taxi event, which was on the runway itself, and that was done at 25 kts ground speed,” Griffin says. NASA X-59 lead pilot Nils Larson was in the cockpit for the tests which over the next few weeks will gradually build up to medium speed taxi and high-speed taxi tests. “We’re targeting 50 kts and 75 kts, and then finally, 100 kts ground speed before we finish our initial round of taxi testing, before we proceed into first flight,” Griffin says.
bttt
Boom Supersonic is already building their plant in Greensboro, NC.
NASA is actually doing something?
“Hey, Buddy — Can you get me to the train station real quick? I’m in a hurry.”
“quiet supersonic research craft”. Did they replace the sonic boom with a sonic pop? ;-)
NASA is building a very fast plane very slowly.
As usual NASA isn’t building anything. It did contract Lockheed to build develop it.
Their contractors are.
Now, regarding Lockheed's performance on the build - at this point, almost 80 years since first making supersonic airplanes - and the introduction of CAD/CAM, 3D printers, decades of experience with composites, etc. - you would think they could build a design faster. This is especially true of a design that does not have a war fighting role.
And what happened? The contract was awarded to Lockheed spring of 2018, for test flights in late 2021. It now MIGHT fly late 2025. That's a 107% schedule overrun, and it is pathetic.
This a different plane than the one flew months ago with video?
A whoosh, not a boom.
Contrast that with the P-51: 150 days after the “go ahead” it was ready to test.
We are so screwed. We don’t hold a candle to the Greatest Generation. We were a great country then.
On the other hand, a P-51 is pretty simple compared to new aircraft.
Kinda looks like a streached out X-3.
>>The sonic squeal like a pig.
they are towing a model around on a runway, IMPRESSIVE.
How much has been spent so far ?
The NASA X-59 Quiet Supersonic Technology (QueSST) aircraft is a project with a cost of approximately $632 million, according to NASA and Boeing. This includes the cost of development, testing, and other related expenses over an eight-year period, according to NASA. The initial contract for the X-59, awarded to Lockheed Martin, was for $247.5 million
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