Supersonic aviation enters new era with noise-reduction technology

The aviation industry is entering a new era of supersonic travel, aiming to significantly reduce long-distance flight times. Following the retirement of the Concorde, new technologies and regulatory shifts are working to overcome the primary obstacle of supersonic flight: the disruptive sonic boom.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is proposing a historic change to regulatory frameworks by considering the removal of bans on supersonic flights over land. Instead of focusing solely on aircraft speed, the FAA plans to establish noise-based limits for sound reaching the ground.

Two primary technological approaches are currently being developed. Boom Supersonic is working on the Overture, a 60-to-80-passenger aircraft designed to use the 'Mach Cutoff' technique, which aims to reflect shockwaves in the upper atmosphere to prevent them from reaching the ground. Simultaneously, NASA is testing the X-59 experimental aircraft, which utilizes a specialized aerodynamic design to dissipate shockwaves into much weaker waves.