China said it is building "the fastest hypersonic wind tunnel in the world" for use in the development of "ultra-fast" aircraft.
According to Chinese digital media, Xinhua, the 265-meter-long wind tunnel could be used to test hypersonic aircraft capable of traveling at speeds up to Mach 25 (30,625 kilometers per hour), which is 25 times the speed of sound. .
Wind tunnels are used to test how air passes over a solid object, allowing designers to improve aerodynamics or reduce stress points when objects reach high speeds, highlights Phys.org.
The Chinese Academy of Sciences has already simulated a hypersonic plane flight in its current wind tunnel at speeds "ranging from 5 to 9 Mach," according to Han Guilai, a specialist at the institution. The researcher indicated that "the new tunnel will help the technical application of hypersonic technology by duplicating the environment of extremely hypersonic flights".
In February, a Chinese investigation was published that revealed an airplane model capable of transporting people and cargo from Beijing to New York in two hours.
Phys.org notes that the powerful Chinese wind tunnel could also be used to test hypersonic missile technology. Earlier, the Pentagon was concerned that "Russia and China aggressively develop hypersonic capabilities," a new type of weapon against which the US he could not defend himself for the moment.
