China’s government is moving forward with plans to build a commercial-scale plant to produce hypersonic engines for both military and civilian aircraft, according to a recent report in the South China Morning Post. The scramjet engines could produce speeds up to Mach 5. The project will bring together the expertise of the Institute of Mechanics, a technical school that has focused on the development of hypersonic weapons, with the local government, to create the facility. Scramjet engines could theoretically cut flying time from Shanghai to New York to just two hours, compared to almost 15 hours for commercial airliners today. The engines also could provide power for spacecraft, according to the Post.
Analysts told the Post a spacecraft could use a turbine engine to take off and reach supersonic speed, then switch to the scramjet for a speed boost, then fire a rocket for the final push to orbit. The three-stage system could be significantly cheaper to operate than today’s technology. If the new plant develops that kind of system, hypersonic expert Liu Hong told the Post, “I think their goal for commercial production is possible. It is within the reach of current technology.”
