Microsoft Flight Simulator has partnered with Boom Supersonic to bring its supersonic demonstrator aircraft, the XB-1, to MSFS 2020 on PC, Xbox, and PS5. The partnership brings the first civil supersonic jet to the simulator, working with the company to accurately model and recreate the aircraft in MSFS 2024.
Who is Boom Supersonic?
Boom Supersonic is an American company currently making the Overture, which will be the first commercial supersonic airliner since the Concorde era. It was founded in 2014, and after years of fundraising and investments, Boom built the XB-1 demonstrator. It eventually flew for the first time on the 22nd of March 2024, reaching speeds of up to 264 knots.
On the twelfth test flight on the 28th of January 2025, XB-1 broke the sound barrier three times, reaching speeds up to Mach 1.122 (650 knots). It was the first private aircraft to break the sound barrier, and it did so without generating an audible sonic boom. Boom Supersonic is trying to achieve supersonic flight without the boom so that it does not become as disruptive as the Concorde used to be when flying over populated areas.
Eventually, Boom hopes to turn the success of XB-1 into the Boom Overture, designed to reach a speed of Mach 1.7 with a range of almost 5000 miles and a passenger count of 60 to 80 passengers. Several airlines have already put in early deals for the aircraft, including United Airlines. It’s due to fly in 2027 with commercial flights by 2030.
Partnership with Boom Supersonic: The XB-1
Microsoft Flight Simulator have partnered with Boom Supersonic to bring the XB-1 to life in MSFS 2024 on all platforms, as a part of their “Partnership Series”. The team at Boom have worked with Asobo and Microsoft Flight Simulator to get it into the simulator, digitising everything, making it as close as you can to a digital twin of the XB-1.
There is no specific information on the XB-1 in the simulator, but it has been noted by Boom that the aircraft is quite hard to land, in real life and in the simulator. The demonstrator aircraft doesn’t fly any more and will never be flown by anyone but test pilots, so this is the best way to bring the aircraft to as many people as possible and allow them to experience what it feels like to fly a supersonic aircraft.
Boom’s XB-1 demonstrator aircraft is available now in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 across all platforms. It can be found in the aircraft selection as it is streamed into the simulator already. For previous Microsoft Flight Simulator news and sim updates, read here on FSNews.
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