NASA brings F-15 jets out of retirement to help test the X-59
NASA just added two retired Air Force F-15 jets to its California research center, all to help test the new X-59—a supersonic plane designed to swap those ear-splitting sonic booms for much quieter sonic thumps.
The X-59 took its first flight in October 2025 from Palmdale, marking a big step in making faster-than-sound travel less disruptive.
How the F-15s fit into the mission
One F-15 will fly alongside the X-59 at up to 60,000 feet, packed with sensors and special cameras to capture shock waves and airflow.
As NASA's Troy Asher put it, these planes are key for "successful data collection and chase plane capabilities."
The second F-15 is there mainly for spare parts—just in case.
Why this matters for future flights
All this data is part of NASA's Quesst mission, which wants to see how people react when sonic booms get swapped for softer thumps over their neighborhoods.
If it works out, it could help clear the way for commercial supersonic flights over land.
For context: the X-59 can hit Mach 1.4 (about 1489km/h), runs on a GE engine, and looks pretty futuristic at 100 feet long with a 29.5-foot wingspan.