https://www.scmp.com/rss/513018/feed Hypersonic flight - which means attaining speeds of more than Mach 5 below altitudes of 90km (56 miles) - is seen as the future of international travel, theoretically allowing people to traverse the entire planet in just a few hours' flight. It may also be used militarily, transforming the risks and rules of global conflict. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Shi Huang Shi Huang Scientists from Northwest A&F University in China have developed an innovative technology to extract and collect boron from seawater. Boron is a lightweight element used as solid fuel in scramjet engines on some advanced Chinese hypersonic weapons. Neodymium-iron-boron rare earth magnets – used extensively in industrial and military applications – have drawn particular attention amid ongoing trade tensions over critical minerals. These high-performance rare-earth magnets not only rely on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3335618/chinese-scientists-report-way-extract-hypersonic-weapon-fuel-boron-seawater?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3335618/chinese-scientists-report-way-extract-hypersonic-weapon-fuel-boron-seawater?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Dec 2025 14:00:12 +0000 Zhang Tong Zhang Tong Chinese aerospace firm Lingkong Tianxing unveiled a hypersonic glide missile last week that has a range of up to 1,300 km (800 miles) and a top speed of Mach 7. The YKJ-1000 has been nicknamed the “cement-coated” missile for its use of civilian-grade materials such as foamed concrete in its heat-resistant coating. According to slides widely circulated online, the unit production cost of this missile, already in mass production after successful combat trials, may be as low as 700,000 yuan (around... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3334933/chinas-dirt-cheap-hypersonic-missiles-could-upend-global-defence-markets-state-media?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3334933/chinas-dirt-cheap-hypersonic-missiles-could-upend-global-defence-markets-state-media?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Dec 2025 14:00:09 +0000 Zhang Tong Zhang Tong A private Chinese aerospace company has become the first in the world to start mass production of a low-cost, high-performance hypersonic missile, suggesting a seismic shift in military technology and defence industrial dynamics. On Tuesday, Beijing-based Lingkong Tianxing Technology released a video on its official social media account showcasing the YKJ-1000 hypersonic missile in flight and how it struck a real target in a desert testing range. A company representative said the missile was... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3334140/90-cost-cut-chinese-civilian-firm-enters-mass-production-mach-7-hypersonic-missiles?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3334140/90-cost-cut-chinese-civilian-firm-enters-mass-production-mach-7-hypersonic-missiles?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Nov 2025 14:08:53 +0000 Stephen Chen Stephen Chen Chinese military scientists have unveiled a rare glimpse into one of the most advanced frontiers of aerospace technology: a prototype of a morphing hypersonic vehicle capable of flying at speeds exceeding Mach 5. The missile, revealed in a published peer-reviewed paper, features a pair of retractable wings – a groundbreaking design that allows it to dynamically adapt its aerodynamic profile mid-flight. When stowed inside the fuselage, the wings minimise drag for high-speed cruising. When... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3330973/pla-team-releases-photo-hypersonic-morphing-missile-can-change-shape-mach-5?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3330973/pla-team-releases-photo-hypersonic-morphing-missile-can-change-shape-mach-5?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Oct 2025 15:00:07 +0000 Holly Chik Holly Chik Chinese state media has revealed for the first time how Peking University – one of the country’s most prestigious institutions – has contributed to China’s hypersonic weapons development. A key figure in the university’s work in the field is Huang Lin, a professor with the department of mechanics and engineering science who has been researching hypersonic vehicles for the past two decades and played a key role in the successful first flight test of China’s hypersonic weapons, according to a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3328999/how-peking-university-fuelling-chinas-hypersonic-weapons-push?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3328999/how-peking-university-fuelling-chinas-hypersonic-weapons-push?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Oct 2025 15:00:09 +0000 Stephen Chen Stephen Chen Chinese aerospace engineers have a revolutionary software design that they say will allow them to overcome a major barrier to stealth aircraft development. The new platform allows plane designers to have as many design variables as they want without increasing computing load – a feat long deemed impossible in aviation circles. The researchers described their innovation as breaking the “dimensionality curse” and used the US Navy’s X-47B, a demonstration stealth drone, to illustrate how the system... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3319249/chinese-scientists-break-design-curse-killed-us-navys-x-47b-drone-programme?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3319249/chinese-scientists-break-design-curse-killed-us-navys-x-47b-drone-programme?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Jul 2025 13:00:09 +0000 Zhang Tong Zhang Tong A Chinese university has successfully flown its Feitian 2 hypersonic vehicle at a site in northwestern China, according to an announcement on the Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU) website on Monday. The research team said the test represented the first successful acquisition of real-flight data for a rocket-based combined cycle (RBCC) engine using a kerosene-hydrogen peroxide propellant. The university’s statement said the test flight proved key capabilities, including... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3315819/chinas-feitian-2-hypersonic-vehicle-shows-critical-capabilities-test-flight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3315819/chinas-feitian-2-hypersonic-vehicle-shows-critical-capabilities-test-flight?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Jun 2025 14:00:09 +0000 Zhou Bo Zhou Bo This is another “DeepSeek moment” for China. By now, the world will have heard of how the Pakistan Air Force used Chinese-made J-10 fighter jets with Chinese-made PL-15 missiles to shoot down India’s French-made Rafale fighter jets, its best enlisted combat aircraft. What lessons might Beijing draw? First, this is a milestone for China’s defence industry. Until now, China’s state-of-the-art weapons have had no real chance of proving their reliability or lethal power. China has not been at war in... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3310220/4-lessons-china-pakistan-j-10s-down-indian-rafale-jets?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3310220/4-lessons-china-pakistan-j-10s-down-indian-rafale-jets?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 May 2025 21:30:07 +0000 Stephen Chen Stephen Chen Chinese scientists have unveiled a propulsion breakthrough that could redefine the future of hypersonic flight. Led by Yang Qingchun, an associate professor with Beihang University in Beijing, the research team has developed an innovative secondary combustion technique that nearly doubles the thrust of a scramjet engine by injecting magnesium powder into the exhaust gases from conventional jet fuel combustion. Tested under conditions simulating Mach 6 flight at 30km altitude, this unprecedented... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3303283/china-tests-hypersonic-afterburner-doubling-thrust-mach-6?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3303283/china-tests-hypersonic-afterburner-doubling-thrust-mach-6?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Mar 2025 06:00:14 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela China’s advancements in disruptive technologies are rapidly blurring the lines between science fiction and reality, from humanoid robots and a computer in the brain to encryption-shattering quantum computers and hypersonic aircraft. Disruptive technology – or innovations that significantly alter established industries and markets – has become a key focus for Beijing as it pushes for dominance in emerging markets ahead of Western powers like the United States. At the start of last year, Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3301567/china-wants-change-world-disruptive-technologies-what-are-they?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3301567/china-wants-change-world-disruptive-technologies-what-are-they?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Mar 2025 02:00:18 +0000 A Chinese start-up has said its superfast drone – capable of reaching four times the speed of sound – will make its first flight next year as military hypersonic technology trickles down to the commercial sector. The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is being developed by Sichuan Lingkong Tianxing Technology as part of a broader effort to develop a supersonic passenger jet, according to the company. The company announced it was developing the aircraft at a news conference in Chengdu in southwest... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3296012/chinas-commercial-mach-4-drone-will-make-first-flight-next-year-company?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3296012/chinas-commercial-mach-4-drone-will-make-first-flight-next-year-company?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Jan 2025 11:43:01 +0000 Stephen Chen Stephen Chen For more than three years in the Tiangong space station, astronauts have been conducting a seemingly mundane experiment. It involves striking alloy particles that are suspended in a vacuum chamber with a laser and then recording the subtle changes that occur as the particles cool. The experiment has been going for so long that the equipment and samples have been replaced three times. But it has been worth it. Using data from the astronauts’ work, scientists back on Earth have now managed, for... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3293302/gift-heaven-china-makes-first-industrial-grade-niobium-alloy-hypersonic-flight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3293302/gift-heaven-china-makes-first-industrial-grade-niobium-alloy-hypersonic-flight?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Jan 2025 05:00:10 +0000 Stephen Chen Stephen Chen Zircon from Australia could become fiercely contested by China and the United States, a geologist who works with the Chinese military has warned. While zircon is commonly valued as a gemstone, inside, it contains the metal zirconium. The metal can withstand very high temperatures, enabling ceramics, for example, to be heated to above 3,000 degrees Celsius (5,432 degrees Fahrenheit) and providing indispensable protection for hypersonic aircraft. China has the world’s largest demand for zirconium,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3290437/australian-gemstone-used-chinas-hypersonic-weapons-could-be-security-risk-study?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3290437/australian-gemstone-used-chinas-hypersonic-weapons-could-be-security-risk-study?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Dec 2024 06:00:12 +0000 Stephen Chen Stephen Chen Chinese scientists have sent a hypersonic aircraft with a remarkably bulky body soaring through the sky, reaching a speed that could cover the distance from Beijing to New York in two hours. During a 2021 test flight first widely publicised this week, a scaled-down prototype of the aircraft reached a top speed of Mach 6.56 – or over six times the speed of sound. The test has provided early validation of a design that, when first unveiled six years ago, was thought to be impossible. “At the time,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3290363/chinas-hypersonic-jumbo-jet-prototype-hits-mach-6-gobi-desert-test-flight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3290363/chinas-hypersonic-jumbo-jet-prototype-hits-mach-6-gobi-desert-test-flight?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Dec 2024 15:00:09 +0000 Zhang Tong Zhang Tong Chinese scientists proposing a new concept for a hypersonic engine with improved continuous thrust, lower start-up speeds and enhanced performance have inserted a ramjet into a rotary detonation engine. Detonation engines use detonation waves instead of traditional combustion to improve thermal cycle efficiency and propulsion performance. Because of their simple structure and high thrust-to-weight ratio, such engines have been used for flight tests in many countries. Although various types of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3285368/chinese-scientists-propose-ram-rotor-detonation-engine-hypersonic-flight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3285368/chinese-scientists-propose-ram-rotor-detonation-engine-hypersonic-flight?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Nov 2024 02:00:11 +0000 Stephen Chen Stephen Chen A Chinese military research institute says it has developed an efficient way to control one of the biggest challenges to hypersonic flight: searing heat. The new cooling device can operate for up to 2½ hours – significantly longer than previously reported solutions and enough for a journey from one side of the Earth to the other. It has a simple structure and the cost is relatively low because it does not have complex components like heat pipes or booster pumps. And it is reusable – it just... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3274827/chinese-team-thinks-outside-box-find-cool-solution-hypersonic-heat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3274827/chinese-team-thinks-outside-box-find-cool-solution-hypersonic-heat?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Aug 2024 06:00:10 +0000 Stephen Chen Stephen Chen China’s hypersonic weapons are poised for a significant upgrade, according to scientists involved in a project to develop a new type of hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV). Using a trajectory similar to a skipping stone, the hypersonic glide vehicle can dive into and jump out of the atmosphere repeatedly at speeds exceeding Mach 15, thanks to a new solid-fuel booster capable of multiple ignitions. A hypersonic glide vehicle is a type of warhead that can manoeuvre and glide at hypersonic speed to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3273658/chinas-new-hypersonic-glider-can-power-jump-other-side-earth-scientists?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3273658/chinas-new-hypersonic-glider-can-power-jump-other-side-earth-scientists?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Aug 2024 14:00:10 +0000 Chinese scientists say they have achieved an advance in radar technology that may turn up the heat in the race for hypersonic weapons. The project team led by Zheng Xiaoping, a professor with Tsinghua University’s department of electronic engineering, said it had built a radar capable of tracking 10 incoming hypersonic missiles at Mach 20 with unprecedented precision, and it could also identify false targets. During ground-based simulations, the new radar showed an error of 28cm (11 inches) in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3269347/chinas-new-interception-radar-can-track-10-hypersonic-missiles-mach-20?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3269347/chinas-new-interception-radar-can-track-10-hypersonic-missiles-mach-20?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Jul 2024 14:00:09 +0000 A research team in China says it has discovered a potentially fatal flaw in Nasa’s hypersonic aerodynamics software. This small deficiency amid tangled equations could lead to “inevitably erroneous outcomes” when scientists simulate and analyse important issues, such as high-temperature ablation, said the team led by Professor Liu Jun, a researcher at the Hypersonic Technology Laboratory of the National University of Defence Technology, in a peer-reviewed paper published in the Chinese academic... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3258190/chinese-scientists-question-flaw-nasas-hypersonic-aerodynamics-software?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3258190/chinese-scientists-question-flaw-nasas-hypersonic-aerodynamics-software?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Apr 2024 06:00:19 +0000 When using laser weapons to defend against hypersonic missiles, cranking up the power does not automatically guarantee better outcomes. That is what a team of aerospace defence engineers and scientists from Beijing found after conducting wind tunnel tests to examine a scenario in which a missile travelling at Mach 6 is hit by a laser beam. When the beam’s power density reached 1kW/sq cm, it caused significant peeling of the coating on the missile’s surface. This special coating is what gives... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3256181/flying-naked-chinese-scientists-find-laser-weapons-can-strip-coating-hypersonic-missiles-unexpected?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3256181/flying-naked-chinese-scientists-find-laser-weapons-can-strip-coating-hypersonic-missiles-unexpected?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Mar 2024 10:00:34 +0000 People could soon be launched into space using a type of hypersonic rail gun, as Chinese scientists and engineers combine the significant advances made in recent years in both electromagnetic launch and hypersonic flight. Essentially the goal is this: to use a giant electromagnetic launch track to accelerate a hypersonic aircraft to Mach 1.6. The aircraft would then separate from the track, ignite its engine and enter near space at seven times the speed of sound. This space plane, a behemoth... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3255351/nasas-dream-comes-true-china-plans-build-giant-rail-gun-launch-hypersonic-planes-space?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3255351/nasas-dream-comes-true-china-plans-build-giant-rail-gun-launch-hypersonic-planes-space?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Mar 2024 13:00:12 +0000 A new breed of China’s unmanned hypersonic aircraft can now challenge the aerodynamic performance of the most advanced fighter aircraft in the US military, according to a group of scientists from Beijing. The new hypersonic drone boasts a lift-to-drag ratio of 8.4 in subsonic flight. While it is not exceptionally high, it is already on a par to that of the F-22 Raptor. The lift-to-drag ratio is a crucial parameter for measuring aerodynamic efficiency. A higher value indicates greater resistance... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3254642/chinas-new-hypersonic-drone-beats-f-22-aerodynamic-efficiency-study?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3254642/chinas-new-hypersonic-drone-beats-f-22-aerodynamic-efficiency-study?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Mar 2024 14:00:13 +0000 Scientists at the forefront of hypersonic weapons research in China say they have an unprecedented power solution for aerospace planes. The “revolutionary” air-breathing engine could, in theory, lift an aircraft from a runway to more than 30km (18.6 miles) into the stratosphere and continuously accelerate it to 16 times the speed of sound. At this velocity, even the longest intercontinental flights could take just one or two hours while consuming less fuel compared with conventional jet... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3246361/revolutionary-design-chinese-scientists-invent-most-powerful-detonation-engine-hypersonic-flight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3246361/revolutionary-design-chinese-scientists-invent-most-powerful-detonation-engine-hypersonic-flight?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Dec 2023 06:00:18 +0000 China has developed a new surface material for hypersonic vehicles that can remain intact after a long flight, scientists involved in the project announced. This technology was previously thought impossible. In a test conducted by the Chinese military, the thin material was applied to the surface of a “waverider” aircraft – which uses shock waves generated by its own flight to improve lift. The air around the hypersonic aircraft was then heated to thousands of degrees Celsius. The smooth,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3238440/hypersonic-race-20-china-tests-next-gen-waverider-revolutionary-technology?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3238440/hypersonic-race-20-china-tests-next-gen-waverider-revolutionary-technology?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Oct 2023 15:00:08 +0000 The last time humans witnessed supersonic travel was the legendary Concorde, which operated from 1973 to 2003. Equipped with four powerful engines, the super-speedy plane could journey from New York to London in less than four hours – a tremendous feat for the era. However, the aircraft’s costly inefficiencies and risky operation forced airlines to retire it after 30 years of service. No manufacturer has yet been able to recreate the days of the Concorde, but some are trying. Denver-based Boom... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3227395/tokyo-new-york-1-hour-hypersonic-stargazer-jet-aims-best-concorde?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3227395/tokyo-new-york-1-hour-hypersonic-stargazer-jet-aims-best-concorde?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Jul 2023 05:01:07 +0000 The Biden administration on Monday added 43 entities to an export control list, including Frontier Services Group Ltd, a security and aviation company previously run by Erik Prince, for training Chinese military pilots and other activities that threaten US national security. The Test Flying Academy of South Africa, a flight school under scrutiny by authorities in Britain for recruiting British ex-military pilots to train Chinese military fliers, was also added to the US Commerce Department’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3223853/us-cracks-down-flight-training-chinese-military-pilots-export-restrictions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3223853/us-cracks-down-flight-training-chinese-military-pilots-export-restrictions?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Jun 2023 17:14:07 +0000 After five years of construction, the most powerful wind tunnel on the planet has roared to life in China’s capital – a facility that will be key to advancing Beijing’s hypersonic ambitions. Located in the mountainous Huairou district of northern Beijing, the JF-22 wind tunnel is 4 metres (13 feet) in diameter and can generate air flow speeds up to 10km (6.2 miles) per second, according to a final evaluation conducted on May 30. That makes it the largest and fastest wind tunnel in the world,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3223152/china-now-has-worlds-most-powerful-hypersonic-wind-tunnel?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3223152/china-now-has-worlds-most-powerful-hypersonic-wind-tunnel?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Jun 2023 14:00:11 +0000 After more than 20 years in Britain as a prominent physicist dedicated to unveiling the secrets of superfast fluids, Zhang Yonghao has joined China’s new national hypersonic laboratory in Beijing. The Chinese government hired Zhang as a top-tier expert from overseas to lead an innovation team at the national key laboratory of science and technology on aerothermodynamics in hypersonic flight at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Mechanics. According to the institute’s website, Zhang’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3220360/after-20-years-uk-british-chair-professor-joins-chinas-hypersonic-programme?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3220360/after-20-years-uk-british-chair-professor-joins-chinas-hypersonic-programme?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 May 2023 22:00:16 +0000 Researchers in China say their AI is the first to simulate an aerial battle involving a hypersonic aircraft flying at Mach 11, or 11 times the speed of sound, and the technology came up with a surprising tactic for defeating an enemy. In the computer simulation, a hypersonic aircraft encountered an enemy fighter jet flying at Mach 1.3, close to the top speed of an F-35. The hypersonic plane’s pilot was then given an order to kill. Instinct, along with the results of earlier simulations, should... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3211730/chinese-ai-simulates-hypersonic-air-battle-offering-surprising-tactic-winning-mach-11-dogfight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3211730/chinese-ai-simulates-hypersonic-air-battle-offering-surprising-tactic-winning-mach-11-dogfight?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Feb 2023 22:00:11 +0000 Military researchers in southern China have significantly increased the efficiency of an air-breathing engine that uses solid state fuel for hypersonic flight, the team reported. The breakthrough could boost the operational range of hypersonic weapons, they said. When a missile or aircraft is cruising at hypersonic speeds, the technology slows incoming fresh air to below the speed of sound before it enters the engine’s combustion chamber. The slower the air moves through the engine, the more... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3209761/chinese-team-nearly-doubles-boron-engine-efficiency-boon-military-and-civilian-hypersonic-flights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3209761/chinese-team-nearly-doubles-boron-engine-efficiency-boon-military-and-civilian-hypersonic-flights?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Feb 2023 07:00:10 +0000 Scientists in Beijing say they have developed a generator that can turn hot gas moving at hypersonic speeds into an intense electric current capable of powering futuristic weapons. The electricity produced could be used to charge military lasers, microwave weapons, rail guns and other pulsed energy weapons, according to the team led by assistant researcher Zhang Xiaoyuan with the Institute of Mechanics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. According to the researchers, the technology could also... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3208795/chinese-scientists-build-hypersonic-generator-power-hungry-weapons-future?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3208795/chinese-scientists-build-hypersonic-generator-power-hungry-weapons-future?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Feb 2023 04:01:03 +0000 A team of Chinese aerospace engineers say they have overcome a major barrier in protecting the country from a potential hypersonic weapon attack. The achievement came in the development of a reusable air defence system, which is based on an unmanned aircraft powered by an air-breathing engine that can fly at more than five times the speed of sound over a long distance, the scientists said. By using early warning satellites and ground radar stations, the aircraft can predict the trajectory of an... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3207627/china-just-got-closer-defeating-hypersonic-weapons-reusable-tech?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3207627/china-just-got-closer-defeating-hypersonic-weapons-reusable-tech?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Jan 2023 22:00:11 +0000 Chinese researchers say they have repurposed the traditional ski-jump method of launching a plane at sea for the hypersonic age, aiming to develop it for easier, safer space travel. Wang Yunpeng, an associate professor with the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Mechanics in Beijing, and his team used scaled-down versions of an orbital plane – similar to the space shuttle – and a hypersonic carrier to test the method at seven times the speed of sound. In a paper published in peer-reviewed... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3202975/china-develops-hypersonic-ski-jump-technology-space-travel?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3202975/china-develops-hypersonic-ski-jump-technology-space-travel?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Dec 2022 08:00:40 +0000 Researchers in China say they have developed the world’s first hypersonic detonation wave engine capable of powering flight at nine times the speed of sound using low-cost jet fuel. Several successful ground experiments for the oblique detonation engine, which generates thrust through a burst of explosions, were carried out at the JF-12 hypersonic shock tunnel in Beijing earlier this year, according to the researchers. The team led by Liu Yunfeng, a senior engineer with the Institute of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3200105/chinese-team-says-hypersonic-engine-can-hit-mach-9-low-cost-jet-fuel?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3200105/chinese-team-says-hypersonic-engine-can-hit-mach-9-low-cost-jet-fuel?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Nov 2022 12:00:20 +0000 People’s Liberation Army researchers say China’s aircraft carriers will be able to use hypersonic weapons thanks to a breakthrough in logistics technology that simplifies and speeds up repair and maintenance of the weapons. These weapons are designed to be launched from aircraft, not a carrier. They can go after a wide range of high-value targets in the air or on the surface and can be used as anti-satellite weapons, according to the team led by Xiao Jun, researcher with the China Airborne... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3195524/breakthrough-chinese-scientists-puts-hypersonic-weapons-pla?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3195524/breakthrough-chinese-scientists-puts-hypersonic-weapons-pla?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Oct 2022 04:05:05 +0000 Researchers in southwest China say they have developed the world’s most advanced system for testing an aircraft’s ability to unload a weapon or small spacecraft at extremely fast speeds, allowing them to test a prototype hypersonic bomber. Since the 1960s, military scientists have used a device known as a captive trajectory system (CTS) during wind tunnel tests to study the cargo offloading ability of bombers and other military aircraft. The systems typically use a small crane to move the bomb... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3193407/chinese-researchers-simulate-hypersonic-bombing-wind-tunnel?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3193407/chinese-researchers-simulate-hypersonic-bombing-wind-tunnel?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Sep 2022 04:00:20 +0000 Chinese scientists say they expect to slash the costs of commercial hypersonic travel with an air-breathing engine powered by a combination of ethylene and coal powder. In one ground test, an experimental device using the low-cost mixture produced shocks travelling at more than 2km (1.24 miles) per second, or six times the speed of sound, the researchers said in a paper published in the China Ordnance Society’s peer-reviewed Acta Armamentarii journal’s September 15 edition. Ethylene is one of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3193116/chinese-scientists-say-coal-power-could-slash-hypersonic-flight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3193116/chinese-scientists-say-coal-power-could-slash-hypersonic-flight?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Sep 2022 07:30:10 +0000 China’s biggest funder of scientific research said it would support the development of civilian hypersonic flight technology that can carry passengers anywhere on Earth – or to near space – within an hour. The National Natural Science Foundation of China approved on September 7 an unspecified amount of funding for a suborbital transport project to develop the hypersonic transport system. The system will feature winged aircraft that take off and land on a runway just like an ordinary plane, but... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3192766/chinas-suborbital-space-plane-project-gets-major-funding-boost?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3192766/chinas-suborbital-space-plane-project-gets-major-funding-boost?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Sep 2022 11:00:18 +0000 The world’s largest free-piston driven shock tunnel is now up and running in southwestern China, allowing low-cost, high-quality wind tunnel experiments in hypersonic research, according to scientists involved in the project. The facility, based on a design proposed by Australian scientists, can simulate extreme flight conditions from 2.5 to 11.5 kilometres per second (1.55-7.14 miles per second) – or more than 33 times the speed of sound. The researchers said they expect the advanced facility... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3191777/chinas-record-breaking-wind-tunnel-goes-mach-33-thanks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3191777/chinas-record-breaking-wind-tunnel-goes-mach-33-thanks?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Sep 2022 13:00:13 +0000 A team of scientists in Beijing claim they have achieved “highly reliable” ground communications during hypersonic weapon test flights. The system could allow ground control to stay in constant contact with a hypersonic vehicle as it travelled at more than 20 times the speed of sound at high altitudes, researchers from the Science and Technology on Space Physics Laboratory said. Lead scientist Li Bin and the team called it a “major breakthrough” in a paper on their findings in Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3190695/chinese-team-claims-highly-reliable-communications-during?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3190695/chinese-team-claims-highly-reliable-communications-during?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Aug 2022 15:15:18 +0000 China successfully carried out a second test flight of a reusable suborbital vehicle on Friday, according to state media reports. The suborbital vehicle is believed to be part of an ambitious plan to build a hypersonic transport system that could take cargo or passengers anywhere on Earth in an hour. It was launched vertically with a rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi Desert and completed a suborbital flight according to the set procedure, state news agency Xinhua... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3190327/china-conducts-second-test-flight-reusable-suborbital-vehicle?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3190327/china-conducts-second-test-flight-reusable-suborbital-vehicle?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Aug 2022 09:50:55 +0000 Hypersonic bullets leave large craterlike wounds in flesh, but do not penetrate the skin and flesh as a solid substance like traditional shots, according to a live animal study by military researchers in China. The researchers from an army medical centre in the southwestern municipality of Chongqing fired high-speed 5mm steel bullets at sedated young male pigs to assess the potential impact of hypersonic weapons on the human body. Hypersonic weapons are an intense area of military research, with... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3190043/how-hypersonic-bullets-could-threaten-human-body-chinese?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3190043/how-hypersonic-bullets-could-threaten-human-body-chinese?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Aug 2022 02:00:12 +0000 A Chinese engineering company says it has completed ground-testing of a prototype engine that it hopes will one day achieve hypersonic speeds with far better fuel efficiency than rocket or jet engines. Chongqing-based TWR-Engine is one of the few private enterprises in China working in the field and is trying to develop a revolutionary form of technology known as the rotating detonation engine (RDE). Commercial and military scientists in China and the United States are racing to perfect the RDE,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3187739/chinese-private-firm-joins-hypersonic-race?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3187739/chinese-private-firm-joins-hypersonic-race?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Aug 2022 13:30:16 +0000 Stephen Lovegrove, Britain’s national security adviser, has warned the West needs to establish better communication with China and Russia or risk miscalculating its way into a nuclear war. In a speech to the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, Lovegrove said the world is entering a “dangerous new age of proliferation”, where technological advancements are increasing the potential damage of weapons and making those weapons systems more widely available. Britain and its... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3186917/uk-national-security-adviser-warns-risk-miscalculating-nuclear-war-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3186917/uk-national-security-adviser-warns-risk-miscalculating-nuclear-war-china?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Jul 2022 09:30:19 +0000 The United States will spend US$1.3 billion to develop advanced satellites that will be able to better track hypersonic missile threats, the Pentagon said, announcing two new contracts that will put the detection and tracking systems in orbit by 2025. Derek Tournear, director of the Space Development Agency, said the contracts will provide 28 satellites, as the US moves to greatly expand and enhance its ability to counter increasing threats from Russia and China. Both countries have been making... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3185757/us-developing-satellites-track-chinese-and-russian?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3185757/us-developing-satellites-track-chinese-and-russian?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Jul 2022 03:43:31 +0000 A Chinese satellite navigation system will allow the Chinese military to monitor, or even control, a hypersonic flight from China to the United States, according to a new study by Chinese space scientists. BeiDou is a satellite positioning system similar to GPS that also offers a communication service with global coverage. In the study, the Chinese researchers simulated the flight of a hypersonic vessel launched from Jinan, in China’s eastern Shandong province, to New York via the Arctic... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3185709/chinese-scientists-simulate-hypersonic-flight-us-after-devising?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3185709/chinese-scientists-simulate-hypersonic-flight-us-after-devising?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Jul 2022 15:00:15 +0000 A Chinese university sanctioned by the US said it had successfully carried out a test flight of a new hypersonic aircraft on Monday. Feitian 1, which was developed by a research team at Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU) in Xian, Shaanxi province, used a combination of rocket and air-breathing engines and could generate a thrust faster than Mach 5, according to a statement posted on the university’s social media account on Tuesday. The rocket and scramjet engines burned kerosene, a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3184229/chinese-university-sanctioned-us-declares-success-hypersonic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3184229/chinese-university-sanctioned-us-declares-success-hypersonic?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Jul 2022 14:30:17 +0000 A wind tunnel built recently by China to test hypersonic flight requires so much power it cannot be connected to the local electricity grid, according to scientists involved in the project. To simulate extreme flight conditions at Mach 5 or faster at high altitude, the wind tunnel runs a 13-megawatt vacuum pump to create an extreme environment from thin air. But the power needed for the pump to operate continuously was greater than “the upper limit allowed by the local electric power... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3184194/chinas-new-wind-tunnel-hypersonic-testing-too-powerful?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3184194/chinas-new-wind-tunnel-hypersonic-testing-too-powerful?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Jul 2022 13:00:27 +0000 A small prototype hypersonic aircraft for civilian use has finished the first stage of testing in China, say scientists involved in the project, bringing the project a step closer to developing a passenger aircraft that can travel six times the speed of sound. The Nanqiang No 1 unmanned aircraft weighs just 500kg (1,100 pounds) but it can reach five times the speed of sound, or faster, according to the team. The researchers have squeezed into its small body three different types of power... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3183232/chinese-prototype-precursor-hypersonic-passenger-travel-anywhere?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3183232/chinese-prototype-precursor-hypersonic-passenger-travel-anywhere?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Jun 2022 09:55:09 +0000 Researchers in southwest China say their air-breathing engine – driven by the explosions of cheap hydrocarbon fuel – achieved stable operation during a simulated test flight at hypersonic speed. This approach can wreck an engine because the explosions release a huge amount of energy in a sudden, uncontrollable way. But the team at the China Aerodynamics Research and Development Centre in Mianyang, Sichuan province say their rotating detonation engine could power a plane or missile at five times... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3177336/chinese-team-has-tested-engine-hypersonic-flight-powered?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3177336/chinese-team-has-tested-engine-hypersonic-flight-powered?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 May 2022 10:00:28 +0000