8-8-2024 (BEIJING) Chinese scientists have unveiled plans for a revolutionary hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) that could significantly enhance the nation’s long-range strike capabilities. The new design, which employs a ‘skipping stone’ trajectory, represents a substantial leap forward in hypersonic weapon technology.
According to a peer-reviewed paper published in the Chinese Journal of Astronautics, the innovative HGV can reach speeds exceeding Mach 15 whilst repeatedly diving into and out of the atmosphere. This remarkable feat is made possible by a cutting-edge solid-fuel booster capable of multiple ignitions.
Dr Yong Enmi, lead researcher at the China Aerodynamics Research and Development Centre, and her team of young scientists – with an average age of around 30 – are spearheading this groundbreaking project. Their work aims to surpass the vision of Qian Xuesen, often referred to as the father of Chinese rocketry.
“This new generation of hypersonic weapons possesses significant advantages in [military] application, featuring long range, high manoeuvrability and unpredictability,” the research team wrote in their paper.
The novel ‘skipping stone’ trajectory, also known as the Sänger trajectory after its Austrian pioneer Eugen Sänger, could potentially increase the missile’s kill range by more than one-third. This development would expand the primary use of hypersonic gliders from regional conflict to global operation.
Current hypersonic glide weapons, such as China’s DF-17 missile, utilise the Qian Xuesen trajectory – a non-ballistic flight path where the glider descends without power after being carried above the Earth’s atmosphere by a rocket. The new design, however, incorporates a booster engine, allowing for a more complex and extended flight path.
Computer simulations suggest that the new aircraft could reach speeds approaching Mach 20 and maintain speeds above Mach 17 for over half an hour. After more than an hour of continuous flight, it could still glide at speeds exceeding Mach 7, theoretically enabling strikes on almost any global location.
Despite these advancements, Dr Yong’s team acknowledged that current technology does not yet fully meet actual combat requirements. The military demands flexibility to alter trajectories mid-flight, necessitating additional systems such as reaction controls.
China has reportedly made significant progress in related technologies, including the development of solid-fuel pulse engines capable of multiple ignitions. The nation has also successfully employed the Sänger trajectory in lunar sample return missions.
This latest development follows reports of China’s 2021 test flight of a hypersonic glide aircraft capable of circumnavigating the Earth, an achievement that reportedly left US government scientists perplexed.
