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Hypersonic flight

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Hypersonic missiles and weapons
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Hypersonic flight
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.
Illustration: Craig Stephens
China technology

Opinion | 4 lessons for China as Pakistan J-10s down Indian Rafale jets

It is a boost for China’s defence industry, arms exports and the PLA’s confidence – and should encourage Beijing to increase its nuclear stockpile.

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Science

China tests a hypersonic afterburner, doubling thrust at Mach 6

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Science

China wants to change the world with disruptive technologies. But what are they?

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Science

‘Era of supersonic passenger flights’ nears as China firm preps drone debut

As hypersonic tech enters commercial sector, Mach-4 drone looks set to fly next year while high-speed passenger jet expected to soar in 2030.

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Sichuan Lingkong Tianxing Technology unveils a model of its Cuantianhou UAV in Chengdu on Monday. Photo: Handout
Science

‘Gift from heaven’: China astronauts develop super niobium alloy for aerospace

An experiment conducted in space has helped Chinese scientists do the impossible – and it could revolutionise aerospace technology.

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Science

Competition set to heat up over Australian gemstone used in hypersonic weapons

A mineral with thermal qualities vital to hypersonic aircraft could soon be at the centre of the next US-China supply battle.

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Science

China’s hypersonic jumbo jet prototype hits Mach 6 in Gobi Desert test flight

Chinese institute reveals test footage of aircraft that could help turn dream of ‘one-hour global travel’ into reality.

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Video footage released this week shows the prototype’s 2021 test flight, which had been kept under wraps for years because of the sensitivity of the project. Photo: Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Science

China’s scientists unveil engine design that could transform hypersonic flight

Tsinghua researchers combine ramjet-based rotor compressor with a detonation engine which they say advances propulsion technology.

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Science

Chinese team thinks ‘outside the box’ to find a cool solution to hypersonic heat

Scientists say they have come up with a simple, cylindrical device that can control one of the biggest challenges to hypersonic flight.

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Science

China’s new hypersonic glider can power-jump to the other side of the Earth

A new type of skipping stone trajectory is being used by Chinese scientists to increase the range of hypersonic weapons.

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Chin DF-17 uses the Qian Xuesen trajectory but scientists are now working on hypersonic gliders that would use a trajectory that acts more like a skipping stone to increase range. Photo: AP
Science

China’s new interception radar ‘can track 10 hypersonic missiles at Mach 20’

New microwave photonic radar boasts a detection range of over 600km and can identify false targets, according to Chinese scientists.

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Hypersonic weapons are faster than traditional ballistic missiles and can also make unpredictable manoeuvres, enabling them to penetrate air-defence networks. Photo: Lockheed Martin/USAF
Science

Chinese scientists question ‘flaw’ in Nasa’s hypersonic aerodynamics software

Due to potential use in development of hypersonic weapons, Vulcan-CFD software is subject to export controls with distributions limited to within US.

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Science

In a battle between lasers and hypersonic weapons, scientists find less is more

Chinese research into the effectiveness of using lasers to combat hypersonic missiles turns up some surprise findings.

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Science

China plans to build a giant rail gun to launch hypersonic planes into space

It was a project that Nasa abandoned. Now China is determined to make electromagnetic hypersonic space launches a reality.

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Chinese scientists are working on a new space launch method which combines hypersonic flight with electromagnetic launch technology. Photo: Weibo
Science

China’s new hypersonic drone beats F-22 in aerodynamic efficiency: study

A new unmanned aircraft is set to pose a challenge to missile defence systems with quick manoeuvrability even at high altitudes.

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The Chinese hypersonic drones have been shown to be superior to American F-22 Raptors during wind tunnel testing. Photo: EPA-EFE/US Air Force
Science

China invents most powerful detonation engine for hypersonic flight

Paper says design integrating rotational and straight-line detonation across a wide speed range is ‘world first’ and testament to Chinese ingenuity.

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Science

China makes massive leap ahead with hypersonic technology

Scientists have developed a breakthrough surface material previously thought to be impossible.

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Aviation

Tokyo to New York in 1 hour? Hypersonic ‘Stargazer’ jet aims to best Concorde

Being developed to fly at nine times the speed of sound, Venus Aerospace’s planned jet will be equipped with rocket engines to climb to an altitude of 52,000 metres – more than four times as high as traditional jetliners.

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Venus Aerospace has been working on the hypersonic “Stargazer” aircraft concept since 2020. Photo: Venus Aerospace / Handout
US-China relations

US cracks down on flight training for Chinese pilots with export restrictions

Dozens of entities, including a security firm previously run by Blackwater founder Erik Prince, were added to the entity list over national security concerns.

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Science

China now has the world’s most powerful hypersonic wind tunnel

The world-leading JF-22 can simulate extreme flight conditions at Mach 30 and will play key role in developing Beijing’s hypersonic weapons programme and passenger air travel.

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Science

British chair professor joins China’s hypersonic programme

Physicist Zhang Yonghao resigned from the University of Edinburgh to join China’s new national hypersonic laboratory in Beijing.

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Zhang Yonghao’s international reputation as a leading expert in gas dynamics could help attract top talent from around the world to work at the new laboratory, said the Institute of Mechanics. Photo: CCTV
Science

Chinese AI reveals surprising tactic for winning hypersonic air battle

To defeat enemy in aerial combat, hypersonic plane should zoom ahead and launch missile backwards, allowing pilot to strike quickly from a long distance, according to computer simulation.

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In typical aerial combat, opponents try to take each other head on and avoid being trailed by a rival. Photo: Weibo
Science

China team ‘nearly doubles boron engine efficiency’ for hypersonic flight

Military researchers say their innovation could boost the operational range for hypersonic weapons.

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Science

Chinese scientists build hypersonic generator to power futuristic weapons

Researchers in China say the technology could be used to charge military lasers, rail guns and microwave weapons that require huge amounts of electricity.

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Science

The reusable air defence system that could protect China from hypersonic weapons

Chinese engineers say they’ve solved a big problem that could allow major advances in air defence.

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Chinese engineers say they’ve solved a major mathematical problem that could be a big leap in the country’s air defence. Photo: Raytheon Missiles & Defense
Science

China looks to hypersonic ski-jump technology for space travel

An obsolete way to launch jets from aircraft carriers could hold the key to affordable transport beyond Earth’s atmosphere.

Chinese scientists have turned to the earliest method of launching jets from aircraft carriers for a solution to one of the barriers to hypersonic space flight. Photo: Xinhua
Science

Chinese team says hypersonic engine can hit Mach 9 on low-cost jet fuel

The device can travel at nine times the speed of sound without the expense or explosion risk of burning hydrogen, according to paper.

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Science

Chinese team reveals hypersonic weapons breakthrough for aircraft carrier

PLA research team says new seal simplifies and speeds up the repair and maintenance of hypersonic weapons.

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