China’s first civilian supersonic jet completes first tests
The Chinese company Space Transportation says it has conducted a test flight of a prototype commercial transport plane, the Yunxing, that can travel at Mach 4 – or twice the speed of a Concorde.
According to the company, the Yunxing will be able to transport passengers from Beijing to New York in about 2 hours, at a cruising speed of more than 4 times the speed of sound. It aims to have a full-sized supersonic passenger jet ready to take its maiden flight in 2027.
The Yunxing should be able to take off and land vertically. Space Transportation explains that it has already developed a prototype and successfully carried out a test which made it possible to verify both the aerodynamics and the control systems, as well as the thermal and mechanical resistance of the composite material structures.
Thermal protection is crucial as during high-speed flight, the aircraft’s surface undergoes continuous aerodynamic heating, with temperatures exceeding 1,000°C. Materials and structures that are lightweight, high-strength and heat-resistant are critical. The company said that the all-composite structure successfully withstood these extreme conditions during the test flight.
Founded in Sichuan province in 2018 with the objective of inexpensive space transportation solutions, the company has R&D and manufacturing centres in Beijing and Xi’an, in Shaanxi, as well as in Anhui province. The company also has a test base in the far west of the country in Korla, Xinjiang.
The company’s research and development plans include technology validation platforms, suborbital space tourism vehicles and global hypersonic flight vehicles. It has provided hypersonic technology services to the military, universities and research institutes, and worked on rocket development and test flights with several universities.
Cover photo: The Yunxing (source: Space Transportation)
