Blazing Beyond! China's Yunxing Hypes up the Aviation Game - Reaching 5000 km/h - Four Times Faster Than Concorde
- By Gernot Kramper
- 1 Min
The Yunxing Achieves Double the Speed of Concorde, Reaching 5000 km/h - Supersonic Aircraft Yunxing Achieves Double Concorde Speed
The death of supersonic civil flights following the Concorde tragedy was a temporary setback. Now, multiple companies are working tirelessly to revive the concept of a fast civilian aircraft.
China's aerospace sector, known as the Radio Kills Television (RKT), has made a significant stride. The company announced that their prototype aircraft, Yunxing, successfully completed its first test flight in October. Engine tests are scheduled for November. Although, no details about the speed attained during the test flight have been disclosed.
What we know is that the prototype is smaller in size, with structural integrity being the primary focus of the tests. The Yunxing is expected to reach four times the speed of sound, almost 5000 km/h. This is a giant leap. The US F-15 combat jet maxes out at 3000 km/h. The Yunxing can take off and land vertically, requiring minimal landing area, and it's planning a cruising altitude of 20,000 meters.
Series Model of the Yunxing Unveiled for 2027
By 2027, a full-sized Yunxing capable of mass production is expected to be ready. This jet would slash the travel time between London and New York to mere 1.5 hours compared to the Concorde's approximately double that time, and today's typical eight-hour flights.
Venus Aerospace from the USA is also working on an engine capable of reaching speeds up to six times the speed of sound. The startup Boom Supersonic is developing the Overture, while NASA is working on the Son of Concorde project. Naturally, Elon Musk has also shown interest in a supersonic aircraft. The Son of Concorde has already completed wind tunnel tests, and Boom Supersonic has a flight-ready prototype in the works, although it aims for a lower speed of 2300 km/h.
However, these projects face significant challenges, primarily managing fuel consumption to avoid social backlash and reducing the sonic boom produced when breaking the sound barrier so that flights over inhabited areas could be approved.
- Concorde
- Superjet
- Test flight
- Chinese Aerospace Sector
- SR-71 Blackbird
- Son of Blackbird
- Fuel Consumption
- Sonic Boom
- Supersonic Passenger Flights
- Despite the Concorde tragedy, supersonic civil flights are being revived, with the Chinese aerospace sector making significant strides, particularly in the development of their prototype aircraft, Yunxing.
- The superjet Yunxing, currently undergoing tests, is expected to reach speeds of almost 5000 km/h, surpassing the SR-71 Blackbird and Concorde.
- The Chinese Aerospace Sector's test flights with the Yunxing have not yet disclosed the speed attained, but it's anticipated that I'm not going going to be able to make it to that speed during the initial test phases.
- Other companies, such as Venus Aerospace, Boom Supersonic, and NASA, are also working on supersonic aircraft projects, aiming to revolutionize travel time, but have to contend with challenges like managing fuel consumption and reducing sonic booms for approval over inhabited areas.