16 Years of the Low-Boom Dive Maneuver - NASA

NASA had to determine a target noise level before NASA’s X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology aircraft could be designed to reduce a loud sonic boom to a quiet thump. To do this, NASA used traditional research aircraft to perform a low-boom dive maneuver, as seen here from the cockpit of a NASA F/A-18.Traditional research aircraft typically produce a disruptive sonic boom when flying supersonic, or faster than sound, but NASA’s low-boom dive maneuver produces a sonic thump, similar to what we envision the X-59 will sound like. NASA has performed low-boom dives for 16 years. This dive reduces the strength of the shockwaves produced and perceived intensity of those shockwaves, making it much quieter for people on the ground. The low-boom dive is a key tool in NASA’s supersonic research and the Low-Boom Flight Demonstration mission.