CHINA is vying to take on the ‘Son of Concorde’ with an even faster supersonic jet that could blast from London to New York City in less than two hours.
Beijing-based Space Transportation – also known as Lingkong Tianxing Technology – has been carrying out test flights and recently reached a speed of 3,106 mph which is four times the speed of sound, according to Chinese media.
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The so-called Jindouyun engine, or JinDou400, could enable travel twice as fast as the iconic Concorde.
In the latest test it was able to reach altitudes over 65,600 feet, the company claims.
It achieved this by doing away with compressors and turbine parts you find in most rocket engines, relying on detonation combustion technology instead.
This tech uses a detonation ramjet to create essential thrust.
Shock waves created from the process compress the incoming air.
Not only does the change reduce weight but it cuts down on costs too.
“This engine has significant commercial potential in the field of high-speed flight within near-space environments,” told firm told SCMP.
“This test flight provided key performance data on the engine, validating critical systems including the fuel supply, electrical and control systems.
“It also confirmed the engine’s stability and reliability, marking a major milestone in its development from a prototype to a fully functional product.”
Space Transportation is racing to develop the kit for a Yunxing passenger aircraft that could take off as soon as 2027.
In October, the company said that it had successfully completed the first test flight for the prototype model.
The aircraft is also designed for vertical take-off and landing.
Their development comes as a rival jet in the US dubbed the “Son of Concorde” makes progress having recently completed its ninth test flight.
Boom Technology’s XB-1 could eventually cut journey times from London to New York City to 3.5 hours, down from the eight or so hours it currently takes.
A new maximum speed of Mach 0.87 – the equivalent to 667mph – was hit earlier this month, as well as a height of 27,716 ft.
Why did the Concorde fail?
CONCORDE was the supersonic passenger jet considered the ultimate luxury in air travel.
Air France and British Airways announced they would be retiring their fleet of Concorde planes on April 10, 2003.
The plane had its first commercial flight on January 21, 1976, so was retired after 27 years of service and 50,000 flights.
Several reasons led to the decision to retire Concorde.
Air France and British Airways cited low passenger numbers and high maintenance costs.
By the early noughties, the planes were outdated and expensive to run, despite being incredibly advanced when they were first introduced almost three decades previously.
The 9/11 terrorist attack in 2001 majorly impacted passenger numbers, as people opted not to fly.
Passenger numbers also fell after an Air France Concorde crashed just minutes after taking off from Paris in July 2000.
The disaster killed all 109 people on board and four others on the ground.
The plane ran over a small piece of metal on the runway, which burst a tyre and caused an engine to ignite.
It was also the only aircraft in the British Airways fleet that required a flight engineer.
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