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Hypersonic Race 2.0: China tests next-gen ‘waverider’ with revolutionary technology

  • Chinese scientists have announced the successful test of a surface material for hypersonic vehicles previously thought impossible to create
  • The achievement means China has pushed ahead of the US in the hypersonic race as America continues to struggle with thermal issues

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A Chinese breakthrough has upped the ante in the global hypersonic race. Photo: Shutterstock
Stephen Chenin Beijing
China has developed a new surface material for hypersonic vehicles that can remain intact after a long flight, scientists involved in the project announced.
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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, non-ablative surface not only kept critical components inside the aircraft cool, but allowed wireless signals to go in and out freely, making target identification and communication possible throughout the flight, according to analysis of telemetry data.

“The test flight ended in a complete success,” the team wrote in a paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Physics of Gases last month. They did not reveal the time and location of the test.

A component of the waverider hypersonic vehicle that uses new thermal protection technology. The yellow circle marks the antenna area. Photo: Key Laboratory of Aerodynamic Thermal Protection for Aerospace Vehicles, China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics
A component of the waverider hypersonic vehicle that uses new thermal protection technology. The yellow circle marks the antenna area. Photo: Key Laboratory of Aerodynamic Thermal Protection for Aerospace Vehicles, China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics

Such new thermal protection technology could help in the development of another generation of reusable hypersonic vehicles with “longer range and faster speed, and constantly break through the boundary of flying”, wrote the team led by Ai Bangcheng, deputy director of the China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics in Beijing.

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