It would be one of the park's three launched roller coasters, with the others being Flight of Fear and Volcano: The Blast Coaster. To save on costs, the park decided to buy the Thrust Air 2000 prototype from the S&S Worldwide testing facility. The ride would have some differences from when it was originally built.
These changes included lap bar restraints and a longer layout. Over 60 trucks carried the track and other components on a  journey across the United States. Construction of Hypersonic XLC began in October 2000 when track pieces arrived at Kings Dominion.