China is testing a supersonic jet that is even faster than the ‘Son of Concorde’ – and could fly passengers from London to New York in less than two hours
It’s been more than two decades since the legendary Concorde last flew, but China could be the one to provide its spiritual successor.
A Beijing-based company called Space Transportation is working on a supersonic jet that is even faster than NASA’s ‘Son of Concorde’.
In tests, the jet engine reached a speed of Mach 4, or 5,045 km/h – four times the speed of sound – at an altitude of more than 20,000 meters. South China morning mail.
This is twice as fast as the maximum speed of the defunct Concorde (Mach 2 or 1,138mph) and three times that of NASA’s ‘Son of Concorde’ (937 miles per hour).
“This engine has significant commercial potential in high-speed flight in near-space environments,” Space Transportation said in a statement.
The successful test flight is an important milestone for the development of the Yunxing supersonic civil aircraft, which will fly passengers from London to New York in less than 2 hours.
Space Transportation aims to have the aircraft ready for its maiden flight by 2027 and the first commercial high-speed point-to-point transport flight by 2030.
Yunxing passengers will be high enough to see the curvature of the Earth – where the horizon is a gentle curve rather than a straight line, normally seen from 15,000 feet.
The plane reached a speed of Mach 4 or 5,045 km/h – four times the speed of sound – at an altitude of more than 20,000 meters
The jet engine, named Jindouyun, reached Mach 4 or 3,045 mph – four times the speed of sound – at an altitude of more than 65,600 feet
Jindouyun, or JinDou400, is named after the ‘somersault cloud’ used by the Monkey King in the classic Chinese novel ‘Journey to the West’.
On Tuesday (December 17), it completed its test flight in northwestern China, reports said Global timesthe daily tabloid of the Chinese Communist Party.
Jindouyun is a ‘ramjet’: a type of ‘air-breathing’ jet engine that uses the forward motion of the engine to compress the incoming air.
Ramjet engines burn oxygen directly from the atmosphere, rather than having to carry their own supply, making them a low-cost, high-output option.
“This test flight provided important engine performance data, validating critical systems including fuel delivery, electrical systems and control systems,” the company said.
‘It also confirmed the stability and reliability of the engine and marked an important milestone in the development from a prototype to a fully functional product.’
The Jindouyun engine, which powers the Yunxing aircraft, could usher in a new era of high-speed passenger transportation for commuters and vacationers alike.
Promo images suggest that Yunxing will be a sleek and futuristic ship, more like something out of Thunderbirds than what we’re used to seeing at airports.
The successful test flight is an important milestone for the development of the Yunxing supersonic civil aircraft, which will fly passengers from London to New York in less than 2 hours
The Jindouyun engine, which powers the Yunxing aircraft, could usher in a new era of high-speed passenger transportation for commuters and vacationers alike
Space Transportation aims to have the aircraft ready for its maiden flight in 2027 and the first commercial high-speed point-to-point transport flight in 2030. The photo shows the company’s promo
Yunxing is now a serious rival to NASA in the race to fly paying passengers aboard a supersonic jet for the first time since Concorde
The aircraft will be made of lightweight, high-strength composite materials, designed to withstand extreme aerodynamic heating while traveling at Mach 4.
Unlike traditional aircraft that build up speed horizontally before takeoff, Yunxing will perform vertical takeoffs and landings, allowing it to ascend and descend in tighter spaces.
This means it will not have to use conventional runways at current airports, but may instead operate from smaller, urban airport facilities.
Yunxing is now a serious rival to NASA in the race to fly paying passengers aboard a supersonic jet for the first time since Concorde.
After years of anticipation, NASA finally unveiled its supersonic X-59 aircraft, unofficially dubbed “Son of Concorde,” in January.
Developed for NASA by Lockheed Martin, the $247.5 million X-59 aircraft can fly at a speed of 937 miles per hour – faster than the speed of sound, but nowhere near Mach 4 .
However, due to its more modest supersonic speeds, the X-59 may be a more realistic candidate for passenger transport in the near term compared to other experimental vehicles in development.
If approved for commercial travel, it could be used by airlines and take passengers from London to New York in less than four hours – still halving the current journey time.
The X-59’s thin, tapered nose covers almost a third of its length and will break the shock waves that would normally result in a supersonic aircraft creating a sonic boom.
Meanwhile, another American company called Boom Supersonic is working on its own supersonic craft, called Overture, which will target commercial passenger flights in 2029.
Last year, a scaled-down prototype of the Overture, dubbed XB-1 Baby Boom, achieved “major milestones” in testing as it headed for its maiden flight.
As for the Concorde, the legendary Anglo-French creation had its first commercial flights in 1976, but was grounded in October 2003 in the aftermath of the catastrophic crash of Air France Flight 4590.
Other reasons for the Concorde’s demise were high fuel costs, noise concerns and a preference for lower fares over speed.
No government or manufacturer has since been able to build a commercial aircraft that can travel faster than the speed of sound.
THE HISTORY OF THE CONCORDE
The Concorde was a supersonic turbojet passenger aircraft that was in service from 1976 to 2003.
It had a maximum speed of more than twice the speed of sound at Mach 2.04 (1,354 mph or 2,180 km per hour at cruising altitude) and could seat 92 to 128 passengers.
It first flew in 1969, but further testing was needed to determine that it was as viable as a commercial aircraft. The Concorde entered service in 1976.
The Concorde was the world’s first supersonic airliner and operated for 27 years, but was grounded in October 2003. The photo shows the British Airways Concorde G-BOAB taking off with its landing gear still extended over the town of Fairford, Gloucestershire in the Cotswolds, on July 20, 1996. , during the annual RAF Fairford air show
It is one of only two supersonic transports to have been operated commercially. The other is the Soviet-built Tupolev Tu-144, which operated as a passenger plane for only a few years in the 1970s due to safety concerns.
Concorde was jointly developed and produced by Aérospatiale and the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) under an Anglo-French treaty. The name Concorde, meaning harmony or unity, reflected the collaboration between Britain and France on the project.
The Concorde was withdrawn from service in 2003 due to a general downturn in the commercial aviation industry following the only crash in 2000, the attacks of September 11, 2001, and a decision by Airbus, the successor to Aérospatiale and BAC, to discontinue maintenance support.