An IAF fighter jet test flight that was decelerating from supersonic to subsonic speed caused the loud sonic ‘boom’ in Bengaluru yesterday at around 1:30 pm local time. It was like a thunderous noise with doors and windows shattering for few seconds.
Spokesman for the Ministry of Defence, Bengaluru, clarified the mystery behind yesterday’s thunderous sound in its tweet “It was a routine IAF Test Flight involving a supersonic profile which took off from Bluru Airport and flew in the allotted airspace well outside City limits.”
“The aircraft was of Aircraft Systems and Testing Establishment (ASTE) whose Test Pilots & Flight Test Engineers routinely test out all aeroplanes. The sonic boom was probably heard while the aircraft was decelerating from supersonic to subsonic speed between 36,000 and 40,000 feet altitude.”
“The aircraft was far away from the city limits when this occurred. The sound of a sonic boom can be heard and felt by an observer even when the aircraft is flying as far away as 65 to 80 kilometres away from the person.”
The loud mysterious sound had generated enough curiosity among residents and netizens who took to social media to share their experience and curiosity.
The sound was heard as far as Ramamurthy Nagar, Old Madras Road, Hosur Road, HAL, Ulsoor, Kundanahalli, Kammanahalli, CV Raman Nagar, Cooke Town, Vivek Nagar, Whitefield and Marathahalli in the city.
Apparently this is not the first time Bengaluru residents have experienced this phenomena. In 2005, too, a similar ‘sonic boom’ was heard in Bengaluru.