In a new Lockheed Martin video, Michael Buonanno, lead engineer for the development of the X-59 aircraft, said:
Also elements of the body of the experimental modelreturned from strength testing from Lockheed Martin's development site in Fort Worth, Texas, to the company's assembly site in Palmdale, California. The aircraft is now preparing for its first flight tests.
Tony Delagarza, the team's lead specialistdevelopment of the X-59, emphasized the role of aeroelastic modeling in ensuring the required “quiet” levels of the aircraft. It would have been impossible to build it 20-30 years ago, the expert noted. The noise from the X-59 supersonic aircraft will be similar to "the sound of a car door slamming." By comparison, the decibels from Concorde's supersonic boom could "shatter windows," the video notes.
Unpacking the fuselage after returning the aircraft to the assembly shop. Image source: NASA/Lauren Hughes
If all goes according to plan, the X-59 will fly for the first timeas early as the end of this year. Further acoustic testing flights are planned for next year. After that, “NASA plans to transfer public flight results to the International Civil Aviation Organization and the Federal Aviation Administration in 2027,” the space agency said in a recent report.
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