China claims to have successfully tested a new hypersonic aircraft that could eventually be used to carry warheads at six times the speed of sound, the latest technological advance by the country’s fast-growing military sector.

The aircraft, known as Xingkong-2 or Starry Sky-2, uses an experimental design known as “waverider” for its ability to ride on the shock waves it generates.

Hypersonic missiles are launched into space, and then descend to follow a flight path similar to an airplane.

The first test of the Starry Sky-2 was carried out in an airfield in northwestern China last week, the Beijing-based China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics said in a statement, and the test was a “great success”.

The waverider reached a top speed of Mach 6 – six times the speed of sound, or 7,344km/h, the academy said, and reached an altitude of 30km before landing, intact, in the area designated.

For comparison, a Boeing 747-400ER, which is the fastest commercial airliner, has a top speed of about 1,000km/h.

The US and Russia are also working on developing hypersonic weapons, which are highly manoeuvrable and extremely difficult to intercept, and there are growing fears of an international hypersonic arms race breaking out.

The test is the first time that China has officially confirmed it is carrying out research into waverider technology.

Source: Irish Times

BDST: 1043 HRS, AUG 8, 2018
SI