When (and why) are military aircraft allowed to break the sound barrier?

Some may already be familiar with the sonic boom that accompanies a break to the sound barrier, but when and why would ...
SlashGear

How Fast Is Mach 1? (And Can You Actually Feel It?)

When legendary pilot Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier and flew the Bell X-1 past Mach 1 in 1947, it was the greatest aviation milestone ever achieved at that time. These days, however, reaching ...
Smithsonian Magazine

In a First, NASA’s Experimental X-59 Plane Flew Faster Than the Speed of Sound, Setting the Stage for ‘Quiet’ Supersonic Aircraft

The United States banned supersonic flights over its land in 1973 due to their ear-splitting sonic booms. Experts are building a plane that should travel at those speeds but create only gentle thumps ...
Mashable

Watch NASA's new experimental jet break the sound barrier for the first time

NASA is testing the X-59, an experimental plane that was designed to exceed the speed of sound without a loud sonic boom. Credit: NASA / Carla Thomas NASA's X-59 jet has broken the sound barrier for ...