Ilaria Rosella Pagliaro China unveils supersonic drone capable of flying at Mach 4.2, paving the way for a revolutionary airliner: by 2030, we could travel from Paris to Shanghai in just two hours
China’s Lingkong Tianxing Technology, also known as Space Transportation globally, unveiled a prototype model of a supersonic drone capable of flying at Mach 4.2 (approximately 3,194 mph). The Cuantianhou plane is a significant step toward the development of a supersonic passenger plane, with the first flight aimed for 2030. The firm announced this during a press conference in China’s Sichuan province.
Cuantianhou: twice the speed of the concorde
The Cuantianhou is claimed to have an amazing performance, flying twice as fast as the Concorde. The 23-foot-long drone, weighing approximately 3,300 lbs, is powered by two detonation engines. According to the South China Morning Post, the first test flight is scheduled within a year.
The long-term vision of Space Transportation goes further than this prototype: the company will develop a supersonic passenger plane named Da Sheng, which might be in service by 2030. This innovation has the potential to revolutionize air travel, bringing the Paris–Shanghai flight route down to just two hours.
Military technology enhances aerodynamics and efficiency
The Cuantianhou project utilizes military-grade technologies. The Cuantianhou is designed with an optimized aerodynamic profile with an improved angle of attack and the removal of the front lift surface, enhancing flight efficiency over its predecessor, the Yunxing drone.
At the prototype reveal, the company also rolled out an improved version of its detonation engine, the Jindou-400S. Weighing in at only 220 lbs—three times less than the initial 660-lb engine—the engine offers increased thrust: 4,000 Newtons, compared with the previous Jindou-400’s 2,500 Newtons. The length of the engine has also been reduced by nearly 6.5 feet, with more compactness and efficiency.
Among the most innovative aspects of the Jindou-400S is a controlled detonation combustion system, a state-of-the-art technology that is built to achieve optimum energy efficiency. Thanks to this innovation, the new engine operates at speeds of up to Mach 4.2 while significantly reducing fuel consumption compared to traditional engines.
With these innovations, Lingkong Tianxing Technology is poised to be a leader in this new supersonic flight era. If the tests prove to be successful, intercontinental travel in just a few hours could be a reality in the near future.
