X-59 Quesst
The only one in existence — NASA's quiet-supersonic X-plane
Tail number N859NA
The story
NASA's answer to a fifty-year ban on supersonic flight over land. The X-59's needle nose is a third of the aircraft — shaped so precisely that the sonic boom arrives on the ground as a quiet thump. It went supersonic for the first time in June 2026 over the Mojave, and every test flight since is building the case to rewrite the rules of the sky.
The X-59 has no forward windscreen. The nose is too long to see over, so the pilot watches the sky ahead through a 4K camera and cockpit display called the eXternal Vision System.
Quick answers
What is the tail number of X-59 Quesst?
N859NA (Lockheed Martin X-59).
What kind of aircraft is X-59 Quesst?
Lockheed Martin X-59.
Is it still flying?
Yes, it is still active.
The type
More aviation history
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