Break the Sound Barrier. From Your Garage.
$750,000 cash and $50,000 in Boom stock for the first amateur team whose remotely piloted, air-breathing airplane exceeds Mach 1 in level flight — lands — and does it again the same day.
Prizes built aviation.
The $25,000 Orteig Prize put Lindbergh across the Atlantic and ignited the airline age. The Kremer Prize produced human-powered flight. The Ansari XPRIZE opened private spaceflight. In 2025, XB-1 became the first independently developed jet to go supersonic. Now it's your turn: no radio-controlled airplane has ever flown supersonic under air-breathing power. The people who close that gap will teach the world something about small, fast, affordable supersonic flight. So we're putting up a prize.
Learn more about XB-1Four requirements. One day.
A winning attempt is two flights, sunrise to sunset of a single calendar day, witnessed by the judging panel. When you're ready to prove it, tell us — we'll coordinate a date and venue with you.
Break the barrier — level
True airspeed above the local speed of sound, sustained 5+ continuous seconds. The entire acceleration through the transonic regime — Mach 0.8 to past Mach 1 — must be flown level or climbing, with no altitude loss. Thrust, not gravity: a dive to accelerate doesn't qualify.
Air-breathing power
Flight must be powered. Turbojet, turbofan, ramjet, or pulsejet— any combination, including turbojet-boosted ramjets. Unpowered flight does not qualify: gliders and soaring aircraft, including dynamic-soaring designs, are not eligible. No rocket thrust at any point in flight. No onboard oxidizer.
Land intact
A controlled landing appropriate to the design — wheeled or belly, on the designated area — after which the aircraft can fly again without replacing major components.
Do it again
Same airframe, same day, reciprocal heading. Refuel and make minor repairs — but the wings, fuselage, engine, and flight computer that went supersonic in the morning must fly again in the afternoon.
Small plane. Real airplane.
This is a flying-machine challenge, not a projectile contest. The same vehicle must take off, go supersonic, land, and repeat. Automation is welcome — but a human remote pilot holds continuous command and instant abort authority on every flight.
- Max takeoff weight
- 25 kg / 55 lb, including fuel
- Configuration
- Fixed-wing airplane; lift from aerodynamic surfaces
- Propulsion
- Air-breathing only: turbojet, turbofan, ramjet
- Prohibited
- Rockets, onboard oxidizer, expendable vehicles
- Control
- Remote human pilot with continuous command + abort authority
- Verification
- Calibrated pitot-static + total air temp, sealed data loggers, GPS telemetry, reciprocal runs — per the published Measurement & Verification Protocol
Amateur means amateur.
This prize is for builders — students, hobbyists, garage engineers — not venture-funded aerospace companies. In the spirit of the FAA's amateur-built rule, the majority of your airplane must be made by your own hands.
- Individuals and teamsTeams of individuals only — U.S. citizens or permanent residents. No corporate entrants. Minors need a parent or guardian to co-sign the registration acknowledgement.
- No corporate moneyNo venture capital, corporate sponsorship, institutional investment, or government grants. Personal funds and private donations — crowdfunding welcome, as long as donors get no equity, IP, or control — and every team member must be an active builder, not a checkbook.
- Majority-built by youShown by the records hobbyists already keep — build logs, photos, receipts. Commercial engines, servos, and avionics are fine. Buying a target drone is not.
- Pros welcome — on their own timeAerospace professionals may compete with their own resources, without employer funding, facilities, hardware, or proprietary information, and not in the course of their employment.
- Your responsibilityEntrants are fully and solely responsible for the safety of their operations and for compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.
The judges.
Phil Condit
Former Chairman & CEO, Boeing. Led development of the 777.
Tom Mueller
Founder/CEO, Impulse Space. Co-Founder, SpaceX — designed the engines that reached orbit.
Scott Manley
Astrophysicist and spaceflight science communicator — asteroid 33434 Scottmanley is named for his work.
$800,000. First one done.
One prize, awarded once, to the first verified qualifying attempt. Sponsored by Boom Supersonic, Alex Gerko, Electric Capital, Caffeinated Capital, Balaji Srinivasan, Josh Buckley, and Denver Ventures — and the purse may grow further as more sponsors join.
Cash
Paid within 60 days of verification, split among the team however you direct. Sponsored by Boom Supersonic, Alex Gerko, Electric Capital, Caffeinated Capital, Balaji Srinivasan, Josh Buckley, and Denver Ventures.
Boom stock
$50,000 of Boom stock at the time of issuance, at a valuation determined by Boom, issued to your team's designee — whoever builds the first supersonic RC airplane knows things we want to know. The winner may need to execute agreements to comply with securities law.
Your IP stays yours
Teams retain all intellectual property in their designs. Boom gets the right to tell the story — names, footage, and the flight data that proves it happened.
Put your team on the board.
Free. Register before your first attempt. When you're ready to prove it, email prize@boomsupersonic.com and we'll coordinate a date and venue for the judges to witness it.
Questions we expect.
Terms & Conditions.
The complete official rules. The Measurement & Verification Protocol, published alongside these rules, is incorporated by reference.