China claims successful testing of Hypersonic Air-Breathing Engine

New Delhi: Researchers in China have claimed that an air-breathing engine, powered by low-cost hydrocarbon fuel explosions, achieved stable operation during a simulated hypersonic test flight. According to Chinese media reports, this technique could destroy an engine because the explosions unleash a large quantity of energy quickly and uncontrollably.

The reports quoted China Aerodynamics Research and Development Centre in Mianyang, Sichuan province, to claim that the rotating detonation engine, which produces thousands of explosions per second, could propel a plane or missile at five times the speed of sound or faster.

According to the report, previous computer modelling has shown that a spinning detonation engine can produce 50% higher fuel efficiency than a jet engine, where fuel burns under full control but considerably more slowly.

In the 1950s, Soviet scientists floated the concept of launching rockets into orbit using an engine fueled by explosions. Chinese military experts have achieved notable successes in the field, including discovering a means to create an 'eternal flame' in an engine to help it withstand blasts in the last few years, the reports added.

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