TOLEDO, Ohio β If you hear another loud noise in northwest Ohio or southeast Michigan Thursday morning, there's no need to panic: it's the sound of a fighter aircraft reaching supersonic speeds during a flight test.
The 180th Fighter Wing, an Air National Guard base situated in Swanton, said in a press release and on social media Thursday they would be conducting an additional functional flight test Thursday between 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. During the test, the craft will reach supersonic speeds in the vicinity of Bowling Green and Toledo, causing a sonic boom that residents across the area may hear.
This comes after the 180th conducted a functional flight test Wednesday, causing a sonic boom heard primarily in west Toledo. It caused brief alarm for some who heard it, likening it to the sound of an explosion. However, these tests are conducted following heavy maintenance on the aircraft, the 180th said in the press release.
READ MORE: Did you hear a loud boom Wednesday? It was a jet breaking the sound barrier, fighter wing says
"A functional check flight is conducted following heavy maintenance on the aircraft, putting the aircraft through strenuous testing and maneuvers to ensure all systems of the aircraft function properly and ensuring mission readiness, before putting the aircraft back into operational rotation," a spokesperson said in the release.
Sonic booms are caused when an aircraft breaks the sound barrier by traveling faster than the speed of sound. The tests typically occur above an altitude above 30,000 feet, the 180th said.
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