(ORDO NEWS) — Photos of the assembled X-59 QueSST aircraft have been posted to the Web. It was developed by Lockheed Martin for NASA.
Lockheed Martin is close to completing work on the X-59 QueSST, an experimental supersonic aircraft for NASA’s Low-Boom Flight Demonstrator program.
As you can see in the new pictures, the plane has already received its giant nose. The whimsical appearance should reduce the noise of the X-59 and pave the way for the commercial operation of supersonic airliners.
Preliminary design of the X-59 began in 2016. It may make its first flight this year. QueSST will fly at over 1,500 kilometers per hour at an altitude of approximately 16,800 meters. The tests will assess the acceptability of supersonic transport.
The cockpit, ejection seat and canopy for the QueSST were taken from the T-38 training aircraft. Chassis borrowed from the F-16 fighter. The basis of the power plant is the General Electric F414 engine.
Recall that last year Aerion, which developed the supersonic civil aircraft AS2, announced the closure due to lack of funding.
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