China Tested Mach 6 Jumbo Jet Prototype

hackingbear writes: Scientists in China have announced that a jumbo jet prototype with a rather bulky body had managed to reach the hypersonic speed of Mach 6.56 during a flight test in 2021. The test flight results had been kept a secret [for 3 years] by the institute and authorities in China owing to the sensitivity of the project until it is revealed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences through a post on social media in which they shared a video of the jumbo jet prototype’s lift-off. The unique bulk body design addresses a big problem of other supersonic/hypersonic aircraft designs [with typical slim body] that the usable interior space of the aircraft had to be decreased as the flight speed of the vehicle decreased, restricting those designs only for missiles, unmanned reconnaissance missions, and other military uses. Cui Kai, the project’s leader and a researcher at the Institute of Mechanics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is quoted as saying that his design was received with much skepticism when it was first unveiled. However, the team conducted several experiments a number of times to validate each uncertainty associated with the project before the final test flight. However, Cui or the Chinese Academy of Sciences did not reveal whether a full-scale model of the aircraft has been constructed, is under construction, or the time period for its first flight.