The story
NASA's one-of-a-kind supersonic demonstrator, built at the Skunk Works in Palmdale to prove a sonic boom can be a thump. A 99-foot needle with no forward window: the pilot flies on a 4K camera. First flight October 28, 2025.
Its target boom is about as loud as a car door closing, roughly 16 times quieter than Concorde's.
Quick answers
How do you identify a X-59 Quesst?
A needle nose longer than the rest of the airplane, a tiny cockpit set far aft with no windscreen ahead of it, and a T-tail. NASA white with red and blue trim. Palmdale and Edwards only.
What does a X-59 Quesst sound like?
One GE F414, the Super Hornet's engine, in an airframe a third the weight. Sharp and rising, then gone.
How fast is the X-59 Quesst?
Top speed is Mach 1.42.
How big is the X-59 Quesst?
It is 99 ft 8 in long and 29 ft 6 in across the wings.
When did the X-59 Quesst first fly?
Its first flight was in 2025.
How many X-59 Quessts have been built?
1 built.
How rare is a X-59 Quesst in Bogey?
LEGENDARY. The top tier. Spotters plan trips around a catch like this. Your first X-59 Quesst catch is worth 1,000 points.
