Development and Flight Testing of the Stability Augmentation System for the XB-1 Supersonic Demonstrator

The XB-1 supersonic demonstrator is a Mach 1.3 tri-jet, all-composite aircraft developed by Boom Supersonic in Centennial, CO and tested in Mojave, California. Designed as a 500-hour aircraft, XB-1 serves as a critical testbed for supersonic flight technologies, airframe validation, and programmatic risk reduction for future commercial supersonic platforms. A key component enabling safe and effective operation of the XB-1 is its Stability Augmentation System (SAS), which contributes to aircraft control across pitch, roll, and yaw axes. This system is implemented through three dedicated damper actuators, each responsible for enhancing the dynamic stability of the aircraft under various flight conditions. The SAS was designed to meet both civil and military-derived handling quality requirements, particularly those outlined in MIL-STD-1797B, and was developed using CONDUIT, a modern control design tool and rigorous verification suite.