It has been 20 years since the famous Concorde flew, but China he may be the one to provide his spiritual successor.
A Beijing-based company called Space Transportation is working on a supersonic plane faster than NASA’s ‘Son of Concorde’.
In tests, the jet engine reached Mach 4 or 3,045mph — four times the speed of sound — at an altitude of more than 65,600 feet, reports said. South China Morning Post.
This is twice as fast as the previous Concorde (Mach 2 or 1,338mph) and three times faster than NASA‘Son of Concorde’ (937 miles per hour).
‘This engine has the potential for commercial high-speed travel within the vicinity of space,’ Space Transportation said in a statement.
A successful trial run is an important part of Yunxing’s corporate jet, which flies passengers from London to New York in less than two hours.
Space Transportation wants the plane to be ready for its first flight by 2027 and the first supersonic flight by 2030.
Yunxing passengers will be high enough to see the curvature of the Earth – where the edges are slightly curved rather than a straight line, which is usually seen from 50,000 feet.
The jet reached Mach 4 or 3,045mph – four times the speed of sound – at an altitude of more than 65,600 metres.
Named Jindouyun, the jet engine reached Mach 4 or 3,045mph – four times the speed of sound – at an altitude of more than 65,600 feet.
Jindouyun, or JinDou400, was named after the “cloud somersault” used by the Monkey King in the Chinese novel ‘Journey to the West’.
On Tuesday (December 17) it completed testing its aircraft in northwest China, reports said Global Timesthe daily magazine of the Chinese Communist Party.
Jindouyun is a ‘ramjet’ – a type of ‘airbreathing’ engine that uses the movement of the engine to force the incoming air.
Ramjet engines burn air directly from the atmosphere, rather than needing to lift it themselves, making them cheaper and more powerful.
“This test flight provided important information on the engine, verifying complex systems including fuel, electrical and control systems,” the company said.
‘It also proved the engine’s durability and reliability, marking a major milestone in its development from prototype to fully operational product.’
Using Yunxing’s aircraft, Jindouyun’s engine can usher in a new era of high-speed air travel for travelers and vacationers alike.
The promotional images show that the Yunxing will be a sleek and futuristic spaceship, more like something from Thunderbirds than what we’re used to seeing at the airport.
A successful trial run is an important part of the development of the Yunxing public jet, which will fly people from London to New York in less than two hours.
Powering the Yunxing aircraft, the Jindouyun engine could usher in a new era of superior travel for travelers and holiday makers alike.
Space Transportation wants the plane to be ready for its first flight by 2027 and the first high-speed flight to space by 2030.
Yunxing is now NASA’s main rival in the race to launch a space shuttle for the first time since Concorde.
The aircraft will be made of lightweight, high-strength materials, designed to withstand high temperatures while traveling at Mach 4.
Unlike traditional airplanes that run horizontally for takeoff, the Yunxing will take off and land vertically, allowing it to take off and land in less space.
This means that it will not use the standard routes at today’s airports, which can be used from smaller airports, instead.
Yunxing is now NASA’s main rival in the race to launch a manned space flight for the first time since Concorde.
After years of anticipation, NASA He finally unveiled his most advanced aircraft, the X-59called ‘Son of Concorde’, inexplicably in January.
Built for NASA and Lockheed Martin, the $247.5 million X-59 jet can travel at 937 miles per hour — faster than the speed of sound but nowhere near Mach 4.
However, due to its limited speed, the X-59 may be a serious contender for short-term missions compared to other experimental vehicles under development.
If it is approved for commercial travel, it can be used by pilots and carry passengers London to New York in less than four hours – still cutting today’s travel time in half.
The X-59’s thin, curved nose is about one-third of its length and will deflect waves that can make the plane more powerful.
Meanwhile, an American company called Boom Supersonic is working on its own supersonic project, called Overture, which is aiming for passenger planes in 2029.
Last year, Overture’s miniature prototype, called the XB-1 Baby Boom, completed ‘significant conditions’ of testing as it headed for its maiden voyage.
As for Concorde, the famous Anglo-French creation had its first commercial flights in 1976, but it was grounded in October 2003 after the terrible accident of Air France Flight 4590.
Some of the reasons for Concorde’s demise were high fuel costs, concerns about noise and a preference for cheapness over speed.
No government or manufacturer has succeeded in building a commercial airplane that can travel faster than the speed of sound.
HISTORY OF CONCORDE
Concorde was a turbojet powered passenger airliner that was in service from 1976 to 2003.
It had a maximum speed of twice the speed of sound at Mach 2.04 (1,354mph or 2,180k per hour at sea level) and could seat 92 to 128 people.
It was first flown in 1969, but needed further testing to prove its viability as a commercial airliner. Concorde entered service in 1976.
Concorde was the world’s first supersonic airliner and has been in service for 27 years, but was launched in October 2003. Pictured is British Airways Concorde G-BOAB taking off with its gear still down in the Cotswolds town of Fairford, Gloucestershire on July 20, 1996. at RAF Fairford’s annual event
It is one of the top two trends that have been driven by marketing. Another is the Soviet-built Tupolev Tu-144, which operated as a passenger aircraft for several years in the 1970s for safety reasons.
The Concorde was jointly designed and manufactured by Aérospatiale and the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) under an Anglo-French partnership. The name Concorde, meaning partnership or partnership, reflects the collaboration on the project between the UK and France.
Concorde was retired in 2003 due to the decline of the commercial aviation industry after its only loss in 2000, the attacks of September 11 in 2001, and the decision of Airbus, the successor of Aérospatiale and BAC, to stop maintenance support.
