After US And Russia, China Tests First Indigenous Waverider Hypersonic Aircraft

Reports Friday claim China has successfully tested its first waverider hypersonic aircraft that can carry missiles and nuclear warheads.

Chinese experts said using its high speed and unpredictable trajectory, the aircraft can break through any current generation anti-missile defense system making it a huge threat for other nations.

The Xingkong-2, or Starry Sky-2 is the first Chinese design that employs waverider technology that allows it to ride on shock waves it generates.

The aircraft was designed by the China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics (CAAA) based in Beijing, under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. The CAAA said Starry Sky-2 reached a top speed of Mach 6 or 4,563 miles per hour during the experiment.

The CAAA claimed the test was a complete success through the social media platform WeChat. “The Starry Sky-2 flight test project was strongly innovative and technically difficult, confronting a number of cutting-edge international technical challenges." It said that it hoped to continue contributing to China’s aerospace sector, but didn’t mention any specific use for the new aircraft.

In a statement released on their WeChat account, the CAAA said the aircraft was launched in a target range located in Northwest China on Friday. The exact location of the test remains undisclosed.

The aircraft has a flatter, wedge-shaped body that improves its supersonic lift-to-drag ratio, thus increasing the capability of speed. The aircraft has greater maneuverability as well, which can make early warnings and interceptions harder.

It was deployed into space in a multistage rocket, where after separation it relied on its own power to indulge in extreme maneuvers. It maintained a speed above Mach 5.5 for more than six minutes and achieved a top of Mach 6.

The aircraft was recovered whole after the controlled flight that yielded effective test data, the statement said. “The test … has laid a solid technological foundation for engineering applications of the waverider design,” it added.

The design, once fully operational, can penetrate any currently available anti-missile defense system while carrying a nuke.

The aircraft would most likely be used to carry conventional, not nuclear, warheads, according to Beijing-based military analyst Zhou Chenming.

“I think there are still three to five years before this technology can be weaponized,” he said. “As well as being fitted to missiles, it may also have other military applications, which are still being explored.”

Other countries like the U.S. and Russia have been experimenting with hypersonic capabilities.

The U.S. has been experimenting with unmanned hypersonic aircrafts for years now. In 2015, the U.S. announced its goal of developing a hypersonic weapon by 2023.

The Boeing X-51 Waverider, which reached a top speed above Mach 5 before crashing into the ocean as intended, was tested between 2010 and 2013.

According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Russian hypersonic missile system, Avangard, has reportedly reached speeds of Mach 20.

China has been successfully dwelling deeper into hypersonic technologies for a while now. According to the South China Morning Post, the state has been conducting tests on hypersonic glide vehicles since 2014.

In November 2017, China conducted a flight test of a 7,680 miles per hour hypersonic ballistic missile that could deliver warheads to its target 870 miles away, with an accuracy of “within meters.” The DF-17 could travel at a speed 10 times that of sound.

As China appears to be catching up with the U.S., it might put additional pressure on the latter’s military. Earlier this year, General John Hyten of U.S. Strategic Command spoke of this.

"China has tested hypersonic capabilities. Russia has tested. We have as well. Hypersonic capabilities are a significant challenge," Hyten said. "We are going to need a different set of sensors in order to see the hypersonic threats. Our adversaries know that."

Former Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work, speaking at a forum, warned that China may soon surpass U.S. in terms of military progress. He pointed out China’s progress in electronic warfare, big data, and hypersonic guns.

"This race is one we have to win," he said.