X-59 forventes å fly i løpet av året - The War Zone

 

THOMAS NEWDICK View Thomas Newdick's Articles

@CombatAir

The experimental X-59 Quiet Supersonic Technology aircraft, or QueSST, built by Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works for NASA, is really taking shape. The last time we had a good look at it, the plastic-wrapped plane was being transported on a semi-trailer en route to the company’s plant in Fort Worth, Texas, last December. Now that it’s there, the jet is no longer under wraps, and it has its nose fitted — quite probably the longest proboscis we’ve seen on an aircraft this size. The bizarre-looking snout is part of an overall design that’s tailored to reduce the kinds of sonic booms that have long been an obstacle in the way of commercial supersonic flight over land. Now at Fort Worth, the X-59 is being put through structural testing and is scheduled to make its maiden flight late this year.