Dallas: Lockheed Martin Corp. won a $247.5 million Nasa contract to build a quieter supersonic jet, a step toward developing planes that can whisk passengers around the globe much more quickly.
The experimental aircraft is expected to take to the skies in 2021 and will have a top velocity of 1.5 times the speed of sound, or about 990 miles per hour (1,600 kilometers) at an altitude of 55,000 feet, Lockheed said Tuesday.