China Tests Supersonic Passenger Jet Faster Than Concorde

The Chinese company Space Transportation has successfully tested a prototype of a supersonic passenger jet capable of flying at Mach 4 (four times the speed of sound), making it twice as fast as the Concorde, the only commercial supersonic aircraft which ceased operations in 2003.

With a top speed of around 5,000 kilometers per hour, it can travel between Beijing and Paris in just 1 hour and 40 minutes, whereas the fastest transport aircraft today require about 10 hours and 40 minutes.

The test aimed to evaluate the jet, named Yunxing, from various aspects including navigation and control systems, aerodynamics, and its ability to fly at high speeds without causing issues, as well as thermal protection technologies that shield it from the extreme heat generated by high speeds.

The company conducted the test in late October and plans to carry out a second test flight this month. According to the South China Morning Post, a full-scale passenger jet is expected to be built and tested by 2027.

If the company achieves its goal, China could become the first country to return to commercial supersonic flight since Concorde stopped flying 21 years ago.

In the United States, NASA is working with Lockheed Martin on the X-59 experimental model, which aims to test designs suitable for supersonic flight by reducing shock waves that hinder its adoption.

Additionally, Boom Supersonic is developing another model named XB-1, which has received approval to test supersonic speeds but has not yet tested those speeds.