China’s latest hypersonic plane technology can change the travel experience of passengers globally as the plane has made a successful test flight that will cover the distance from Karachi to London in 1.5 to 2.5 hours.
Chinese company Beijing Transportation has reached an important milestone by developing a hypersonic aircraft, while its prototype model was successfully tested on 26 October.
This new technology plane, named Yunsheng, uses an advanced propulsion system that allows the airplane to fly at a speed of 3,000 miles per hour – twice the speed of sound – cutting the travel time by more than 50 percent.
The futuristic aircraft has the ability to take off and land vertically – like a helicopter and will be able to fly at a height of 60,000 feet.
This breakthrough shows China’s significant progress in aerospace technology, which could impact both military and commercial aviation.
Meanwhile, the company has set a target of commercial flight of the aircraft by 2027.
The company shared that plans to check the full engine capacity of the aircraft are scheduled for November 2024.
One American firm, Boom Supersonic, is at the forefront with its prototype aircraft, XB1.
The XB1 was showcased at the Farnborough International Air Show in July 2024, where Boom’s founder and CEO, Blake Scholl, expressed his goal to make it the first commercial supersonic aircraft in decades.
Scholl highlighted the need for innovation, noting that it’s been over 20 years since Boeing or Airbus introduced a new commercial aircraft, a stagnation he feels is at odds with today’s demand for speed.
To date, only two commercial supersonic jets, the Soviet Tupolev Tu-144 and the British-French Concorde, have been in operation, with the Concorde last flying in October 2003.
Boom’s planned aircraft is expected to change this, with hopes of cutting travel times drastically—London to New York could be completed in just 3.5 hours, with speeds exceeding 1,300 miles per hour.
