In its statement, NORAD acknowledged that the sound that had startled D.C.-area residents around 3 p.m. ET was likely caused by the sonic boom created by the jets as they flew at supersonic speeds.

NORFOLK, Va. — People living in and around the nation’s capital on Sunday experienced a rare, if startling, sound: A sonic boom. The boom was heard after U.S. military dispatched a fighter jet ...

A sonic boom is the noise created by an aircraft or some other object when it surpasses the speed of sound. Typically clocking in at 110 decibels, sonic booms are indeed about as loud as thunder ...

(Video above: Previous reporting of sonic booms) But for those new to the area, it may be perplexing. We got a call from a viewer in Belton Wednesday morning about hearing a boom sound. We ...

Despite traveling at a top speed of Mach 1.12, no associated boom was picked up. “XB-1 broke the sound barrier three times ...

No other independently developed jet has ever broken the sound barrier prior to the XB-1 ... and the company did it with no audible sonic booms on the ground. The Boom Supersonic XB-1 (pictured ...

"During its historic first supersonic flight on January 28, 2025, Boom’s demonstrator aircraft, XB-1, broke the sound barrier three times without generating a sonic boom that reached the ground ...

The countdown has begun for the XB-1’s “historic” first supersonic test flight that should break the sound barrier ... say in ideal conditions, a sonic boom can be heard up to 30 miles ...

“Anytime you have a sharp sound exceeding 140 decibels, there is a non-negligible risk of hearing loss,” he said. The sonic boom from the October Starship launch measured up to 146 decibels in ...