A Swiss aviation startup claims to have developed the world's first hydrogen-powered supersonic jet, which could cut travel time by 75% and bring back supersonic flight. The new jet, called the HB-2, uses hydrogen fuel cells to power its engines, eliminating the need for traditional fossil fuels.

The HB-2 has been developed by the aeronautics firm Swiss Hydrogen in partnership with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL). The aircraft is designed to travel at speeds of up to 1,000 miles per hour, which is about 1.3 times the speed of sound. This could potentially reduce travel time from New York to London to just two hours, compared to the current duration of around seven hours.

The technology behind the HB-2 is groundbreaking as it uses hydrogen fuel cells to generate electricity, which is then used to power the jet's engines. Hydrogen fuel cells are considered a more sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional fossil fuels. The hydrogen used in the HB-2 is stored in on-board tanks and is converted into electricity through a process that produces only water as a byproduct.

The HB-2 has already completed a successful test flight, which lasted for 10 minutes, at an altitude of 6,500 feet. The aircraft is still in development, and Swiss Hydrogen plans to conduct further tests to refine the technology and evaluate its performance.

If successful, the HB-2 could usher in a new era of supersonic travel, which has been absent since the retirement of Concorde in 2003. The HB-2's use of hydrogen fuel cells could also help to reduce the aviation industry's carbon footprint, which is a major contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions.