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China Central TelevisionChina Central Television

A glide vehicle model undergoes testing in a hypersonic wind tunnel in a special feature on Chinese state television.

agencies aligned with Beijing’s desire to develop advanced weapons for its military.

One such example is the experimental DF-ZF HGV, which had reportedly been tested on at least eight occasions since it was first documented in 2014. Earlier reports have suggested that a DF-ZF prototype – which was earlier identified by the US Department of Defense (DoD) as the WU-14 and is believed to comprise a DF-17 medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) with a HGV payload – successfully completed a November 2017 demonstration from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre (JSLC) in Inner Mongolia. The HGV reportedly travelled approximately 1,400 km following its atmospheric re-entry phase, achieving speeds of over Mach 9 (11,265km/h) during its flight.

The DF-17 MRBM system was first revealed to the public on 1 October 2019 during the 70th anniversary military parade to mark the country’s founding. The maximum estimated range for the DF17 varies in open sources from 1,800km to 2,500km. US intelligence sources reportedly noted that at least several DF-17 test flights were conducted by the PLAARF in November 2017.

Defence industrial capabilities The state-owned space and defence technology prime China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) appears to be front-runner in China’s hypersonic weapons development race, with its flight technology development arm China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics (CAAA) announcing in August 2018 it had successfully developed and tested an experimental HGV called Xing Kong2 (Starry Sky-2). It is understood that the test vehicle was launched by a solidpropellant rocket supplied by the Fourth Academy of the China Aerospace Science & Industry Corporation (CASIC), also known as the CASIC Delivery Technology Technical Research Institute.

According to CAAA, the internally funded demonstration was aimed at validating core technologies that are vital to hypersonic flight, with the research institute noting that the test vehicle was subsequently recovered in its complete state at a designated landing zone.

“The test has laid a solid technological foundation for engineering applications of the waverider-type design,” the institute said in its statement, adding that the effort has enabled its technical staff to acquire valuable performance and telemetry data for further refinement of indigenous hypersonic aerodynamics such as microvortex generation, as well as other critical elements including flight control and guidance, payload separation, propulsion, and thermal protection technologies.

According to CASC, the test vehicle has been in internally funded development since around 2015 and was launched from a facility in north-western China (likely JSLC). It separated from the booster rocket following a 10-minute ascent and controlled transition, engaging its own propulsion system to perform independent flight for over 400 seconds and attaining a maximum claimed speed of Mach 6 and flight ceiling of 30km (18.6 miles). The demonstration, which was aimed at validating core technologies that enable hypersonic flight, was deemed “completely successful” with CAAA claiming that the test vehicle was subsequently recovered in its complete state at a pre-designated landing zone.

CAAA operates several hypersonic wind tunnels aimed at determining the aero-elastic properties of aircraft travelling at hypersonic speeds, including the FD-02, FD-03, and FD-07. The FD-02 is believed to be capable of generating a simulated range of Mach 3.5 to 8, while the FD-03 and FD-07 can simulate speeds of between Mach 5 to 10 and Mach 5 to 12 respectively.

Other Chinese government-owned hypersonic research institutes also exist, with the State Key Laboratory of Gas Dynamics being the most prominent. The institute has operated the JF-12 hypersonic wind tunnel – which is capable of simulating conditions at speeds up to Mach 9 – since 2012. Its new JF-22 hypersonic wind tunnel is expected to be ready for use in 2022 and is reportedly designed to be capable of simulating conditions for vehicles travelling at speeds of up to Mach 30 at altitudes between 40km (24.8miles) and 100km (62miles).

Testing for success Just weeks after CASC’s Starry Sky-2 demonstration, the Institute of Mechanics at the government-run Chinese Academy of Sciences (IMCAS) also carried out atmospheric tests with three hypersonic vehicle models, with state-owned television channel CCTV 7 reporting that the tests were completed successfully.

According to CCTV7, the three test vehicles were carried to a high altitude by a specially designed balloon before being released and free-falling back to the surface at speeds in excess of Mach 1.

Although no official details were disclosed, visual analysis of CCTV footage revealed that the scale vehicle models – each around 6.5 feet (2 metres) long with a wingspan of about 5ft (1.5m) – adopted different aerodynamic configurations, with one featuring a delta form and single vertical tail fin (D18-1S), another with