dufus Posted August 8, 2018 Share Posted August 8, 2018 China has successfully developed and tested a cutting-edge waverider hypersonic aircraft, according to the China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics in Beijing. Starry Sky 2, China's first hypersonic experimental waverider vehicle, was lifted atop a rocket on Friday morning at a testing field in northwestern China. Provided to China Daily The academy, part of the State-owned space contractor China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, announced on Friday that the first flight test of its Starry Sky 2, which it calls the nation's first hypersonic experimental waverider vehicle, was conducted that day in the early morning at an unidentified testing field in northwestern China, adding the test was a "huge success". Waverider is a hypersonic aircraft that has a wedge-shaped fuselage designed to improve its supersonic lift-to-drag ratio by using shock waves generated by its own flight as a lifting surface. The hypersonic vehicle was lifted atop a solid-propellant carrier rocket and was then separated from the rocket before flying on its own propulsion system. During its independent flight, it maintained an ultrafast speed of Mach 5.5 to 6, or 6,732 km to 7,344 km per hour, for more than 400 seconds, according to a statement from the academy. By comparison, the cruising speed of the fastest commercial airliner in active service -- the United States' Boeing 747-400ER -- is about 933 km/h. In the test, the waverider reached an altitude of 30 km and carried out large-angle maneuvers. The vehicle obtained much data and verified a host of advanced technologies, such as the domestically developed heat-balance thermal protection system, the statement said. The academy explained that the project is a research endeavor sponsored by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp and intends to demonstrate new aerodynamic technologies, noting the design of Starry Sky 2 took three years. The test marked the first time China has officially confirmed its research and development in waverider, a futuristic concept that can be turned into a hypersonic strike weapon capable of evading all existing air-defense networks. The US and Russia have been researching and testing waveriders for years, aiming to make use of such vehicles' great potential in military applications. Though China had not revealed its efforts in hypersonic vehicles before Friday's test, Western media reported that the country has designed at least one type of such craft, which Western analysts call WU-14 or DF-ZF, and has performed several flight tests for it. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201808/05/WS5b66eea3a3100d951b8c8a7d.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dMog Posted August 8, 2018 Share Posted August 8, 2018 arms race anew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luisam Posted August 8, 2018 Share Posted August 8, 2018 4 hours ago, dufus said: During its independent flight, it maintained an ultrafast speed of Mach 5.5 to 6, or 6,732 km to 7,344 km per hour, for more than 400 seconds, according to a statement from the academy. By comparison, the cruising speed of the fastest commercial airliner in active service -- the United States' Boeing 747-400ER -- is about 933 km/h. A really interesting and promising breakthrough for hypersonic flight. But considering that this is just an experimental vehicle, I feel it's unfair to compare it simply with a commercial Boeing 747-400ER. Of course, this comparation gives us to some measure the inredible speed of this artifact but the comparison should be done with the X-43, currently the fastest unmanned aircraft on record at approximately Mach 9.6, the SR-71, world’s fastest manned air breathing jet ever flown with an official top speed of mach 3.3, or maybe be X-15 which has the current world record for the fastest manned aircraft. with a maximum speed was mach 6.70 (about 7,200 km/h) The point is that these hipesonic aircrafts were commercially developed (with the conditional exception of the SR-71, which had a military use) The main issue is not to reach some extraordinary speed but to develop an economically feasible aircraft which which can be built in representative numbers. ECONOMICS is the keyword. Probably ECONOMICS was the one of the factors INCORRECTLY evaluated when France and the UK decided to develop the Concord; the other factor was the sonic boom and its environamental impact Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dufus Posted August 10, 2018 Author Share Posted August 10, 2018 think dmog got idea of what it for Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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