NASA has conducted a series of flights to validate the capability of its F-15 research jets to measure and record the X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft shock waves.
Throughout May, two F-15s lifted off equipped with recording tools and flew faster than the speed of sound to match the conditions at which the X-59s are expected to operate, NASA said Tuesday.
The X-59, developed in partnership with Lockheed Martin, is part of NASA’s Quiet SuperSonic Technology, or Quesst, program. The aircraft is designed to reduce the booms of commercial supersonic planes to a thump.
Table of Contents
F-15 Test Flight Details
Cheng Moua, engineering project manager for the Schlieren, airborne measurements and range operations for Quesst project at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in California, described the F-15 test flights in May as “a graduation exercise.” He said the test brought together all components and equipment in their final configuration to prove that they work.
NASA is using an F-15D, a tactical aircraft from the U.S. Air Force, and an F-15B, which is more typically deployed to evaluate the performance of equipment or for pilot training.
The tools onboard both F-15s are:
- A near-field shock sensing probe, which measures shock waves
- The Airborne Location Integrating Geospatial Navigation System, or ALIGNS, to identify precise positioning
- The Airborne Schlieren Photography System to capture real-world images of air density changes caused by the X-59.
NASA Prepares for X-59 Flight
During the Quesst mission, the F-15D will lead data gathering using the near-field shock sensing probe. The F-15B will serve as a backup.
Both jets will fly behind the X-59 to measure and capture images of small pressure changes and demonstrate how shock waves form and evolve during flight.
The Quesst mission aims to provide critical data and guide regulators in crafting rules for commercial supersonic flight over land, which is currently prohibited due to concerns about sonic booms disrupting communities.
Related Articles
The Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday voted 26-3 to pass a bill that would appropriate $851.9 billion in discretionary defense funding for fiscal year 2026. Weapons Systems Procurement The committee said Thursday the proposed FY 2026 Defense Appropriations Act would allocate $171.3 billion for weapon systems procurement and $140.5 billion for platform research, development and testing. The measure includes a $280 million increase in funding for F-135 spare engines and an additional $500 million for F-35 sustainment spare parts; an additional $216 million for drone and counter-drone tech capabilities; $4.6 billion more for air and missile defense efforts; and a
NASA wants to team up with industry to develop advanced space technologies for future commercial or government use. The space agency on Wednesday issued an announcement of collaboration opportunity, or ACO, to solicit partnership proposals. Managed by the Space Technology Mission Directorate, the ACO gives industry partners access to NASA subject matter expertise, facilities, software and hardware to accelerate and enhance capability development. According to NASA, the ACO will be open for five years and will serve as an umbrella opportunity for topic-specific appendices that would be released every six to 12 months to address evolving needs. For the 2025
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., head of the Department of Health and Human Services, and other government and healthcare technology leaders have committed to delivering a patient-centric digital health ecosystem. At an event hosted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services at the White House, over 60 companies pledged to collaborate and deliver results that benefit the public in the first quarter of 2026. Meanwhile, 11 health systems and providers said they will support patient use. Seven electronic health record companies pledged to facilitate data exchange. According to Kennedy, bureaucrats and entrenched interests have made health data inaccessible to patients,