The Chinese Academy of Sciences recently released the latest information about the development of a hypersonic prototype passenger aircraft, claiming that a test flight was completed three years ago in less than 20 minutes, with flight footage now made public. Its incredible speed means this aircraft could travel from Beijing to New York in under two hours.
In October, Cui Kai, an associate researcher at the Institute of Mechanics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, gave a speech at a forum where he shared the progress on their hypersonic vehicle research. The content of his speech was made public recently.
He explained that hypersonic vehicles refer to those that achieve speeds reaching or exceeding five times the speed of sound, meaning speeds above Mach 5. In practical terms, this means such vehicles can travel over 1,500 meters per second, which is more than six times faster than current conventional aircraft.
Cui’s team has been conducting relevant research for the past 13 years. On August 31, 2021, they successfully conducted a flight test of the hypersonic vehicle at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The entire flight lasted less than 20 minutes, during which they collected a large amount of test data.
Unlike traditional slender hypersonic aircraft designs, the prototype developed by Cui’s team features a rounded and bulky fuselage with cloak-like wings on its back. This design suggests that future hypersonic aircraft could carry as many passengers or cargo as today’s large jetliners.
Despite this, Cui acknowledged in his speech that there are still many challenges to be addressed in hypersonic vehicle research, including issues related to power, materials, and structural integrity.