This new supersonic jet can fly from London to New York in less than 2 hours

This new supersonic jet can fly from London to New York in less than 2 hours. Image: Space Transportation.
This new supersonic jet can fly from London to New York in less than 2 hours. Image: Space Transportation.

A Chinese company plans to pilot a prototype of a supersonic jet in the second half of this year, aiming to launch an advanced hypersonic commercial jet by 2030, capable of reaching Mach 5 (6,172 km/h). This would allow flights from New York to London in less than an hour or from New York to Beijing in about two hours.

Space Transportation, based in Beijing and also known as Lingkong Tianxing Technology, has unveiled two hypersonic aircraft: the Yunxing commercial jet and the Cuantianhou spaceplane (“Flying Monkey” in English). The Cuantianhou prototype will be 11.88 meters long, with a wingspan of 4.39 meters and a maximum takeoff weight of approximately 4,536 kg.

Although the company has not disclosed detailed specifications for the Yunxing jet, it stated that a smaller prototype successfully completed a 20-minute test flight in October. Space Transportation plans to launch an unmanned version of the Yunxing for two passengers by 2027. This version is designed for smart flying, reaching Mach 4 (4,938 km/h), with a range of 3,000 km and a flight altitude of 20 km.

General Manager Fan Deng emphasized that the long-term goal is to develop a larger aircraft with a capacity for 50 passengers, a length of 27.43 meters, and a weight of 70 tons, capable of flying at Mach 5.

Fan acknowledged that technology and engineering pose significant challenges. Hypersonic speeds generate extreme heating on the fuselage, requiring advanced materials. Propulsion is another major challenge being addressed by domestic competitors. Additionally, laws prohibiting supersonic flights over land in many countries, including the U.S., present a hurdle. “In the future, we will need to work much more on this,” Fan said.

With more than double the speed of the Concorde, the Yunxing promises to transport passengers from London to New York in under two hours. Analysts noted that the designs of the Yunxing and Cuantianhou resemble the SR-71 Blackbird, an American reconnaissance aircraft from the 1960s capable of reaching Mach 3.32 (3,529 km/h).

If successful, the Cuantianhou spaceplane would enable China to conduct suborbital missions to the Tiangong space station, complementing the government’s Shenlong spaceplane. The development also coincides with efforts by U.S. companies like Virgin Galactic, SpaceX, and Sierra Space, as well as the U.S. Space Force’s X-37B, focusing on reusable spacecraft.

Hypersonic aircraft are being developed by various companies, including the Venus Aerospace Stargazer, Hermeus Quarterhorse Mk 1, Stratolaunch, and Destinus.

Exosonic CEO Norris Tie recently highlighted that supersonic flight has existed since the 1940s and does not require much “new technology.” According to him, hypersonic is the current trend, and development should focus on this type of technology. “Unfortunately, supersonic is no longer in fashion,” he said.

Source: Robb Report. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.

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