Lockheed Martin X-59

Single Jet

The Lockheed Martin X-59 QueSST (Quiet SuperSonic Technology) is NASA's experimental aircraft designed to demonstrate that supersonic flight over land can be achieved without the disruptive sonic boom that has banned such operations since 1973. Rather than the traditional double-boom shockwave, the X-59's radically elongated fuselage and carefully sculpted aerodynamics produce a gentle "sonic thump" measuring around 75 decibels at ground level — quieter than closing a car door — by shaping and spreading the shockwaves that coalesce into a boom on conventional supersonic designs. First flown in 2024, the single-seat research aircraft features an extraordinary needle-nose configuration stretching 99.7 feet with a cockpit positioned nearly halfway back along the fuselage, requiring an external vision system since the pilot cannot see forward over the nose. Powered by a single General Electric F414 engine borrowed from the F/A-18 Super Hornet, the X-59 is designed to cruise at Mach 1.4 at 55,000 feet while generating that signature quiet sonic signature. NASA's mission is not to build a production aircraft but to gather community response data during overflights of several U.S. cities starting in 2025, providing regulators with the scientific evidence needed to potentially rewrite the supersonic overland flight ban and enable a new generation of quiet supersonic transports. The aircraft represents the first serious attempt since Concorde's retirement to make civilian supersonic travel viable over populated areas. SkyMeter has tracked flights across airframes and operators, with the sole observed operator.