Another Sonic Boom? Loud Sound Heard in Bengaluru, Windows Rattle

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has said that none of its flights made the noise in Bengaluru.

(Photo: PTI)

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has said that none of its flights made the 'boom' noise in Bengaluru. Image used for representational purposes. 

A loud boom was heard across many parts of Bengaluru on Friday, 2 July, a little after 12:30 pm. Several residents of the city took to Twitter to share that they heard a loud ‘thud’ and a 'boom' sound. As per the tweets, the sound was heard in Sarjapur area, JP Nagar, Benson Town, Ulsoor, ISRO layout, HSR Layout, South Bengaluru and East Bengaluru.

While the sound was muted in some areas, some residents shared that their windows rattled due to the impact of the sound. “Windows rattled after a huge sound...what was it, one more Sonic Boom?” a Twitter user wondered. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has said that none of its flights made the noise.

There is speculation that the sound could be a ‘sonic boom’ from a fighter jet flying over the city. However, this has not been confirmed by the police or Air Force.

A sonic boom is the result of fast movement of aircraft – the thunderous sound is produced when these objects fly overhead faster than the speed of sound. A sonic boom is a phenomenon when shock waves are created in the atmosphere when an object moves faster than the speed of sound. Sound travels at 343 metres per second in the air.

Last Year's 'Sonic Boom'

A similar ‘boom’ sound was heard last year in May in Bengaluru as well. While some had described it as a ‘thunderous noise’, others had said they felt tremors, with their window panes rattling for as long as five seconds. Sources from the police told various media houses including TNM that the sound could have been caused by a Sukhoi 30, and later it was confirmed by the Indian Air Force.

“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 statement had said.

The statement also said that the aircraft was far away from Bengaluru city limits. “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,” it added.

Last year, the sound was heard in places like Cooke Town, Vivek Nagar, Ramamurthy Nagar, Hosur Road, HAL, Old Madras Road, Ulsoor, Kundanahalli, Kammanahalli, CV Raman Nagar, Whitefield and HSR Layout in the city.

(Published in an arrangement with The News Minute.)