Strange New Aircraft Rolls Out of Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works Facility – This Could Change Everything
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration and Lockheed Martin have finally formally introduced the new supersonic jet that promises to revolutionize travel with an aircraft that flies at supersonic speeds without creating that ear-crashing sonic boom when it first breaks the sound barrier.
NASA’s new X-59, with its distinctive extra-long nose section, was rolled out publicly on Friday in front of a crowd of about 150 at the Lockheed Martin Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California, according to Space.com.
America — and especially troubled NASA — needs a win, and many are hoping this aircraft is it. If this plane is successful and reliable, it could revolutionize supersonic travel.
The X-59 Quesst (Quiet SuperSonic Technology) glistened on stage Friday when NASA introduced it to the world.
“It’s rare that we have the opportunity to host this many visitors at the Skunk Works, and it’s even more rare that we were able to publicly unveil one of our aircraft,” said John Clark, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, Space.com reported.
One feature of the aircraft immediately became obvious. It does not have a forward-facing window for the pilot to see out of.
Instead of looking outside the ship through a forward cockpit window, the X-59 pilot will “see” what they are traveling toward with the new External Vision System, or XVS. The pilot will sit in front of a wide video view screen that gets its feed from a forward line-of-sight camera at the nose of the plane, Space.com noted in a separate report on the vehicle.
This XVS will use custom imaging software to “create an augmented reality view of the X-59 pilot’s forward line-of-sight along with graphical flight data overlays,” NASA revealed in its news release.
The new way to guide pilots is expected to be the wave of the future as planes become more advanced.
“We haven’t felt comfortable about putting in a crewed flight vehicle without first testing it. So this groundbreaking technology is really a beacon guiding us towards a future where visibility barriers in aircraft design can be overcome with this inventive solution,” said NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy.
Space.com goes on to say that the plane is 99.7 feet long, 29.5 feet wide, and can reach Mach 1.4 — or 925 mph. It can also reach an altitude of 55,000 feet. It is powered by a single engine manufactured by General Electric Aviation.