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takyon [soylentnews.org] writes:

NASA has awarded a contract to create a relatively quiet supersonic jet plane [nasa.gov] to Lockheed Martin:

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company of Palmdale, California, was selected for the Low-Boom Flight Demonstration contract, a cost-plus-incentive-fee contract valued at $247.5 million. Work under the contract began April 2 and runs through Dec. 31, 2021.

Under this contract, Lockheed Martin will complete the design and fabrication of an experimental aircraft, known as an X-plane, which will cruise at 55,000 feet at a speed of about 940 mph and create a sound about as loud as a car door closing, 75 Perceived Level decibel (PLdB), instead of a sonic boom.

NASA plans to fly the "X-plane" over U.S. cities starting in 2022 in order to "collect data about community responses to the flights".

Also at Popular Mechanics [popularmechanics.com], Newsweek [newsweek.com], and Wired [wired.com].

Previously: NASA Quesst Project - Quiet Supersonic Transport [soylentnews.org]
Concorde Without the Cacophony: NASA Thinks It's Cracked Quiet Supersonic Flight [soylentnews.org]
NASA Tests Light, Foldable Plane Wings for Supersonic Flights [soylentnews.org]
Trump Administration Supports NASA's Quieter Supersonic Plane Design [soylentnews.org]

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