A supersonic passenger jet dubbed the ‘New Concorde’ travelled faster than the speed of sound for the first time during a test flight today. Some 34,000ft above California’s Mojave Desert, the XB-1 prototype reached speeds of 844 miles per hour – more than the 770mph speed of sound.

Boom’s XB-1 jet breaks sound barrier on first supersonic flight - Boom’s inaugural XB-1 supersonic test flight reached speeds of more than 850 miles per hour

Boom Supersonic, the American company building what promises to be the world’s fastest airliner, broke the sound barrier for its first time with a test flight in Mojave, California, on Tuesday.