Key Highlights:
- The Chinese research team produced and tested a prototype based on a novel idea created more than two decades ago by an American space agency scientist.
- Professor Tan Huijun and his colleagues at the Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics created a prototype machine based on Tang’s blueprint.
- The weapon is being developed in China by the Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics.
China developing Hypersonic nuclear missile
A Chinese research team produced and tested a prototype based on a novel idea created more than two decades ago by an American space agency scientist. The majority of hypersonic aircraft has an engine in the belly.
The experimental Two-Stage Vehicle (TSV) X-plane, on the other hand, was powered by two independent engines on the sides.
According to the South China Morning Post, it was conceived by Ming Han Tang, a Chinese American who was the lead engineer of Nasa’s hypersonic program in the late 1990s.
The engines may convert to high-speed mode and reach speeds of up to five times the speed of sound.
However, the Boeing Manta X-47C, a program to test Tang’s design, was canceled by the US government in the early 2000s due to financial concerns.
Paving way for hypersonic plane and engine
Money is no object in today’s quickly militarizing China, though, especially if it puts the communist leadership ahead in the weapons race.
As a result, professor Tan Huijun and his colleagues at the Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics in the eastern province of Jiangsu created a prototype machine based on Tang’s blueprint.
The design has gotten a lot of interest because “understanding its work mechanism may give vital direction to hypersonic plane and engine development,” Tan and colleagues said.
It comes after China launched a hypersonic missile across the world in October, leaving the US reeling from the alarming display of military might.
According to reports, US intelligence and military officials were taken aback as China launched a rocket into orbit carrying a hypersonic glide vehicle that circled the globe before rushing towards its objective. The nuclear-capable missile missed its target by roughly two dozen miles when it was discreetly fired in August.
US authorities alarmed by the test
The frightening test, however, has alarmed US authorities and demonstrates how China has made astounding progress in the development of its hypersonic weapons, according to insiders.
A hypersonic missile travels five times faster than the speed of sound and can cover distances of up to 1,500 miles, with Russia employing the technology in recent years to construct cutting-edge weapons.
In a dangerous arms race, China has been striving to develop strong weapons.
According to an Asian national security official and a Chinese security specialist close to the People’s Liberation Army, the weapon is being developed in China by the Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics.
The China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology has officially publicized a number of rocket launches, but the hypersonic missile test in August was purportedly kept secret.
According to reports, US intelligence and military officials were taken aback as China launched a rocket into orbit carrying a hypersonic glide vehicle that circled the globe before rushing towards its objective.
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