NASA to Host News Conference Announcing New Supersonic Test Aircraft

NASA will host a news conference at 11 a.m. EDT Tuesday, April 3, to announce the agency’s plans for its next experimental aircraft, or X-plane, called the Low-Boom Flight Demonstrator (LBFD).

In February 2016, NASA signed a contract for the preliminary design of its LBFD concept. The agency now is ready to move forward with development and building of the aircraft, which will test new technology for quiet supersonic flight and possibly enable changes that will allow for supersonic flights over land.

The news conference will be held in the James E. Webb Auditorium at NASA Headquarters at 300 E St. SW in Washington, and also will air live on NASA Television and the agency’s website.

The briefing participants are:

Jaiwon Shin, associate administrator of NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate.
Ed Waggoner, program director for NASA’s Integrated Aviation Systems Program
Peter Coen, project manager for NASA’s Commercial Supersonics Technology Project
Media planning to attend or call in to the news conference should email their name, media affiliation and telephone number to J.D. Harrington at j.d.harrington@nasa.gov no later than 9 a.m. April 3. Media and the public can send questions on Twitter during the news conference using #AskNASA.

For more information about NASA’s aeronautics research, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/aero