A new breakthrough in supersonic flight! Will “Somersault Cloud” open a new era of aviation?

Author: Li Chuanfu Shi Xiangqi

On December 17, 2024, the "Jindouyun" (codenamed "JINDOU400") high-speed ramjet engine developed by Sichuan Lingkong Tianxing Technology Co., Ltd. successfully completed its test flight. With its excellent performance and thrust exceeding 400 kg, this engine has achieved a flight speed of 4 times the speed of sound at an altitude of more than 20 kilometers. This achievement not only marks a major breakthrough in my country's near-space high-speed flight, but also heralds the arrival of a new era of aviation.

The picture shows the "Jindouyun" high-speed ramjet engine

The "Jindouyun" high-speed ramjet engine uses detonation combustion technology, which is a subversive combustion method. Detonation combustion technology efficiently converts the chemical energy of fuel and oxidant into heat and kinetic energy by inducing a series of rapid and continuous detonation waves in the combustion chamber. Compared with traditional combustion methods, detonation combustion has higher combustion efficiency and specific impulse, and can provide the engine with stronger thrust. In addition, the engine also introduces a modular design, making the structure more compact, functionally independent, and easy to maintain. This design concept not only improves the reliability and maintainability of the engine, but also facilitates subsequent upgrades and improvements.

During the test flight, Lingkong Tianxing Technology obtained valuable engine performance data and conducted a comprehensive integrated assessment of key technologies such as the fuel supply system, electrical system and control system. The success of these tests fully verified the stability and reliability of the "Jindouyun" high-speed ramjet engine. This test flight not only marks that the series of engines has entered the productization stage from the prototype stage, but also lays a solid foundation for the subsequent development of the "Yunxing" series of supersonic aircraft.

The "Yunxing" series of supersonic aircraft is a supersonic aircraft developed by Lingkong Tianxing Technology based on the "Jindouyun" high-speed ramjet engine. This series of aircraft successfully completed the verification aircraft test flight on October 27, 2024, with a flight speed exceeding Mach 4 and a lift-to-drag ratio of more than 3.5. The entire aircraft is covered with yellow lightweight composite materials, which not only reduces the weight of the aircraft, but also improves its aerodynamic performance during high-speed flight. This test flight verified the aerodynamic performance, heat protection technology and control technology of the supersonic aircraft, and conducted a comprehensive assessment of its flight control, avionics equipment and structural strength. These test results provide strong support for the subsequent development of supersonic passenger aircraft.

Pictured is Yunxing's full-size supersonic passenger aircraft

From a global perspective, there are two main technical routes for the development of supersonic aircraft. The first is the aviation route, which is to follow the development ideas of aircraft and achieve supersonic flight by increasing speed and breaking the sound barrier. For example, the Concorde supersonic aircraft inherited a lot of mature aviation technology, but as the speed increased, its power technology faced greater and greater challenges. The second is the aerospace route, which is to follow the development ideas of hypersonic aircraft, reduce its speed and achieve supersonic flight. The advantage of this route is that it can achieve very high speeds, but its expertise is not as mature as aviation technology, and it needs to achieve a transition from disposable to reusable in engineering design.

The successful test flight of the "Jindouyun" high-speed ramjet engine has provided new ideas for the development of my country's near-space high-speed flight field. It has not only achieved a major breakthrough in technology, but also demonstrated great potential in commercial applications. In the future, the engine is expected to be used in civil aviation to achieve mass production of supersonic passenger aircraft, thereby significantly shortening the flight time of international flights. For example, the flight time from Beijing to New York is expected to be shortened from the current more than ten hours to less than one hour, which will greatly change people's travel methods and bring revolutionary changes to the aviation transportation industry.

The successful test flight of the "Jindouyun" high-speed ramjet engine is a major scientific and technological achievement in my country's aviation field. It not only breaks the monopoly of foreign countries on high-speed flight technology, but also injects new vitality into the development of my country's aviation industry. In the future, as this technology continues to mature and be applied, it will surely usher in a new era of aviation and promote my country's progress from an aviation power to an aviation power.