China is entering the competition to initiate a new era of supersonic air travel by planning to develop an airplane that could compete with the Concorde, as reported by local news outlets.
According to reports from the South China Morning Post, COMAC (Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China) recently disclosed plans for the C949 – a supersonic aircraft capable of reaching speeds up to Mach 1.6. This new model would be able to travel faster and farther compared to the iconic Concorde, as mentioned in an academic publication.
The document stated that the project aimed for a 50 percent increase in range compared to the Concorde and was engineered to ensure the aircraft operates as silently as a hair dryer’s noise level.
The curved planform of the fuselage is designed to mitigate shockwaves, thereby postponing intense sonic booms that might otherwise be generated by the aircraft, as reported by the South China Morning Post.
Lowering the noise levels is a method for the aircraft to attempt overcoming regulatory hurdles that prohibit supersonic travel, as reported by SCMP.
Euronews Next is attempting to independently confirm these assertions by contacting the academic journal that released the study along with COMAC; however, they have yet to receive any responses by the time this was published.
Other supersonic aircraft currently under development
The Concorde, a supersonic passenger plane developed jointly by France and the United Kingdom, conducted its initial test flight in 1969. Over its 26 years of service with British Airways, this aircraft completed nearly 50,000 trips.
The aircraft, capable of reaching a top cruise speed of Mach 2.04 (approximately 2,180 km/h), offered a journey time between London and New York of under 3.5 hours compared to the usual 8-hour duration for a standard subsonic flight.
Since the retirement of Concorde in 2003, there has not been an active civilian supersonic airliner. However, several new supersonic ventures are currently underway, such as the X-59 project, which is a collaboration between NASA and Lockheed Martin from the United States.
Disclosed last year, the plane can reach an altitude of 55,000 feet (more than 16,700 meters), and it generates noise similar to that of a car door shutting, as stated by its creators.
The X-59 is engineered to fly at speeds reaching Mach 1.4 (approximately 1,730 km/h), which is less speedy compared to both the Concorde and the anticipated Chinese C949.
In March, NASA revealed that the X-59 successfully completed an engine speed hold, also known as a cruise control test, which marks the final phase before its inaugural flight scheduled for later this year.
“We had to confirm that the speed control function was effective not only inside the engine but also as part of the complete aircraft system,” stated Paul Dees, NASA’s X-59 deputy propulsion lead at the agency’s Armstrong Flight Research Center.
The test verified that all elements – including the software, mechanical connections, and control laws – function together as expected.
A private firm namedBoom Supersonic aims to introduce its supersonic aircraft, known as theOverture, prior to the conclusion of this decade.
During the initial test flight of the XB-1 by Test Craft, January The aircraft reached speeds of up to 1,207 km/h at an elevation exceeding 35,000 feet (10,600 meters), and managed to land without producing a sonic boom, according to the firm.
Commercial interest in the Overture has already emerged, withBoom securing deals prior to this point. United Airlines , American Airlines, and Japan Airlines to supply the aircraft once it satisfies the necessary safety requirements.
The European Commission supported multiple initiatives to examine noise reduction techniques as well as the ecological effects of supersonic travel, such as the 2022 RUMBLE initiative, the 2020 SENECA initiative, and the continuing MORE AND LESS initiative.