The First Civil Aircraft to Fly Supersonic since the Concorde

Aurora flew for the first time making it the first civil aircraft to fly supersonic since the Concorde.

On the morning of November 12, 2024, the Dawn Aerospace Mk-II Aurora achieved its first supersonic flight during an 85-degree climb, reaching Mach 1.1 and an altitude of 82,500 feet. This marked the first civil aircraft to break the sound barrier since the Concorde.

During the same flight, Aurora set a world record for the fastest climb from ground level to 20 km altitude, completing the ascent in just 118.6 seconds—beating the 1970s record set by a modified F-15 ‘Streak Eagle’ by 4.2 seconds.

Remarkably, the Aurora completed another flight just six hours later.

These achievements position the Aurora as a groundbreaking aircraft, pushing the boundaries of speed and altitude while paving the way for operational hypersonic aviation.

source Dawn Aerospace