The American X-59 supersonic aircraft, publicly presented as a civilian airliner, may in fact be part of a Pentagon military program, according to military analyst Alexey Leonkov.

He noted that while the U.S. fifth-generation fighters F-22 and F-35 boast impressive specifications, they do not fully meet the demands of modern warfare.

Leonkov suggested that the X-59 project, officially described as a civil aviation initiative, could actually serve as a prototype for a sixth-generation combat aircraft. He recalled that Donald Trump had once hinted at Washington’s intent to develop such a plane, given the limitations of the current fleet. The F-22, he explained, is too expensive, while the F-35 proves ineffective in contemporary conflicts, performing adequately only in «colonial-style» wars.

According to Leonkov, the U.S. military needs an aircraft capable of rapidly reaching mission zones, carrying out combat tasks, and returning to base with speed and efficiency. The X-59, he argued, could serve as a testing platform for these advanced technologies.

The expert also did not rule out that the X-59 project may be linked to the development of a hypersonic aviation engine, which is still in the experimental stage.

Earlier reports stated that Lockheed Martin, in cooperation with NASA, successfully conducted a test flight of the X-59. The aircraft flew from the U. S. Air Force’s Plant 42 base in California to a landing site near NASA’s Edwards Research Center.