China developing hypersonic passenger jet that could reach anywhere in the world within two hours
The days of spending up to a full day traveling to reach your holiday destination could soon be a thing of the past.
China is currently developing a hypersonic passenger jet that could reach anywhere in the world within just two hours.
The new jet is set to be an incredible six times faster than the Concorde and test flights could start as early as next year.
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A smaller prototype for the 'Nanqiang No 1' has been developed and the project has undergone testing in a lab in Fujian Province.
Test flights with a full-sized prototype are scheduled for 2025.
Weighing just 500kg, it’ll fit 10 people and it’s hoped that paying passengers could be boarding these planes in the next decade.
Using a combination of turbofan, as well as rocket and ramjet engines, the aircraft will be able to reach a speed of Mach 6, which is six times the speed of sound.
Lead project scientist Yin Zeyong, a lead project scientist, said that 'the breakthrough of this technology will greatly shorten the round-the-world flight time.'
'It can change human civilization,' said Yin, who is also the director of science and technology with the Aero Engine Corporation of China.
While the team began their work on the jet in 2019, they are yet to make it go supersonic and it hasn’t yet reached speeds over Mach 1, which is 767mph.
The team have also not revealed how the aircraft will slow down once it reaches its top speed or in the event of an emergency.
However, if successful, the Nanqiang No 1 will rival Concorde, which had a maximum speed of 1,354mph or Mach 2, which is twice the speed of sound.
Other countries are trying to develop their own supersonic jets but few are trying to make theirs hypersonic - which is where it travels faster than Mach 5.
One issue that could act as a roadblock for Nanqiang No 1 is the noise created by traveling at such speeds.
Only small and experimental vehicles have been able to reach Mach 6 so far, partly due to a sonic boom that can be caused by it.
The development of this jet comes after a previous announcement about multiple hypersonic weapon tests that were being conducted in China.
Several other companies have also revealed that they’re developing a hypersonic aircraft that could be used for military and also civilian purposes.
It could well mean that, in the future, it’ll take us just a couple of hours to reach the other side of the planet.