Project 0901 China's strategic powered hypersonic research programme

[antigravite]

Hi everybody,

It seemed we did not have any clearly identifiable thread on this subject yet. Now we do.

Project 0901 is a national endeavor -- not to be confused with project 0902 (Fusion) -- and seems to broadly cover anything related to high-speed scramjet research for the purpose of flying a test vehicle, and ultimately crafting a hypersonic cruiser (missile or other).

A.

 

[antigravite]

Hi.

It seems we got a new beast in the Chinese hypersonic "x-plane" inventory. Something "new" has happened since the first documented evidence, 2012. Contextual fact: media stories showed up while Xi visits Obama. This new kid on the block got tested somewhere around september 2015, as highlighted here:

http://nextbigfuture.com/2015/09/chinas-incremental-step-from-hypersonic.html

…quoting from:

Staff Reporter, "News of hypersonic drone could be Xi's 'gift' to Obama: Duowei," wantchinatimes.com, 2015-09-21 15:07 (GMT+8),
http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20150921000065&cid=1101

…quoting from Duowei News (of course).

And for what it's worth:

Actually TWO articles were published by Duowei.

1 / 华新型高超音速验证机试飞 速度超“黑鸟”
2015-09-18 13:08:20
http://military.dwnews.com/news/2015-09-18/59682672.html
which started it all

2 / 成都基地现神秘飞行器 或为高超音速飞行器
2015-09-21 22:55:45
http://military.dwnews.com/news/2015-09-21/59683316.html:

which "clarified" some issues (many of which are deep black) and compared the vehicle to an X-15, not an SR-72.

多维军事

近日互联网公布的卫星图片显示，在中国成都飞机制造厂的停机坪上，出现了一架外形奇特的飞行器，从该飞行器旁停放的歼-10战斗机、翼龙无人机的外形尺寸来看，该飞行器显然也是一款无人飞行器，然而与传统固定翼飞行器不同的是，这架奇特的飞行器在机身后部只有一对短翼，显然它并不是一架普通的无人机。

而在此前几天，中国航空新闻网报道了中国试飞中心某新型高超音速验证机试飞成功的消息，因此有分析认为，成都飞机制造厂停机坪上的这个奇特的飞行器，很可能就是刚刚试飞成功的新型高超音速验证机。从该机的外形和尺寸上看，其机身和机翼设计非常类似美国于上世纪60年代的高超音速技术验证机X-15，而并不是此前媒体传闻的类似美国SR-72那样的大型战略高超音速侦察无人机。

在9月21日，空军装备研究院高级工程师张文昌在接受媒体的采访时称，根据中国航空新闻网的报道来判断说中国已成功研制并试飞了大体类似“黑鸟”，最高飞行速度等指标超越“黑鸟”的高超音速载人战略侦察机，还为时尚早。但他同时也认为，如果报道中的高超音速飞行器以某型飞机为载机，验证了中国预研的某项高超音速飞机技术，还有些可信。

综合以上的消息，有分析认为，中航工业官方媒体报道的新型高超音速飞机在飞行方式上，可能和美国采用超燃冲压发动机的高超音速验证机X-51A“乘波者”类似，采用大型轰炸机作为母机，取得一定的速度和高度后再靠自身动力加速到高超音速状态飞行，而中国试飞这款验证机的母机很可能是轰-6轰炸机。

分析还认为，世界上开展高超音速飞机研究的国家虽然很多，但真正取得重大进展、制造出验证机的只有美国。不管中国试飞成功的是哪一种高超音速武器，都将极大改变未来进攻和防御作战样式。

(桑梓地 编辑)

For those willing to go further down this way, I'd suggest to question the "source". Where does Duowei's funding come from? Who are they? Which geopolitical ties and connections? How was the information takenover in China though Baidu and 360, etc.

Forum member bobbymike was prone to create a new thread on this event, which we should merge under the same and possibly renamed topic.

A.

PS) For those willing to experience some sort of the #anonymous phun, 4chan (yup, the so-called "asshole and mouth of the internet") opened a related, now closed, thread in their /k/ (weapons) board -- http://boards.4chan.org/k/thread/27309819/chinas-new-hypersonic-aircraft

 

[TAKHISS]

CG model based on google earth


Author is 彩虹熊（Rainbow Bear）————bai wei

 

[LowObservable]

I call shenanigans.

 

[flateric]

CG model based on google earth

The best place to keep classified hypersonic vehicle through years is an open tarmac area, under the sun, rains, snow and circling over sats.

 

[Deino]

CG model based on google earth
Author is 彩虹熊（Rainbow Bear）————bai wei

My old friend Bai Wei is still active ... nice to see !

Does he has a new blog or site ?? His older ones are either completely dated or off.

Deino

 

[TAKHISS]

CG model based on google earth
Author is 彩虹熊（Rainbow Bear）————bai wei

My old friend Bai Wei is still active ... nice to see !

Does he has a new blog or site ?? His older ones are either completely dated or off.

Deino

His Weibo
http://weibo.com/p/1005051601173705

（lower right corner can change to English）

 

[antigravite]

For reference only.

http://www.popsci.com/chinese-hypersonic-engine-wins-award-reshapes-speed-race

A.

 

[antigravite]

Hi everybody;

Question.

Has China tested yesterday, August 26, 2016, its alleged "Mach 6" and/or "airbreathing" experimental "hypersonic" vehicle? This is the type of stuff I just came across.

- Were available NOTAMs useful as indicators and warnings, serving a known pattern?
- Was the announced/rumored/intended test postponed or did it just happen?
- Were available NOTAMs related to something else, just more "mundane"?

All this is going so fast.

A.

So: ?! or ?! or !! -- That is the question.

 

[antigravite]

FWIW, another two cents…

1 - My previous post information mostly originated from [Elixir] aka Henri Kenhmann (alias).
2 - This strategic information appeared on their newly created blog "East Pendulum" at the following address:
http://www.eastpendulum.com/nouvel-drone-hypersonique-26-aout with a nice instagram feed, by the way…

Now, for the context:
3 - eastpendulum.com domain (with .com TLD) was purchased on June, 21, 2016.
4 - Current eastpendulum.com registar is 1&1 SE (Germany)
5 - Hosting services and whois contact information currently obfuscated (which is good for privacy)
6 - Website CMS is standard wordpress, layered with one of Elated Themes' 12 premium themes purchased through Envato's Themeforest marketplace.
7 - Domain name set in English likely for maximum SEO ranking. Main blog language is French (no surprise… business as usual).
8 - Domain name adapted / added as a signature for organizing / indexing / tagging / categozing Youtube posts. The blog hosts many videos and thus serves as a repository. Mega menus based on categories are not very clear, though (as of today).

Please find below the NOTAM sampled from source above, together with images (maps) available.

Still unclear to me, based on extracted image information: What this hypersonic test -- provided it really happened -- initially set / planned / schedulded for August 17, 2016?

A.


A2167/16 NOTAMN
Q) ZLHW/QARLT/IV/NBO/E/000/276/
A) ZLHW B) 1608252330 C) 1608260130
E) THE SEGMENT JIAYUGUAN VOR ‘CHW’-YABRAI VOR ‘YBL’OF ATS RTE B215 CLSD AT 8400M AND BELOW.
F) FL000 G) FL276

A2170/16 NOTAMN
Q) ZWUQ/QARLT/IV/NBO/E/246/371/
A) ZWUQ B) 1608260030 C) 1608260230 EST
E) THE FLW SEGMENTS OF ATS RTE CLSD BTN 7500M AND 11300M:
1. L888: KUQA VOR ‘KCA’-SADAN.
2. W186: SAGOK-SADAN.
3. W187: TAPUG-SADAN.
F) FL246 G) FL371

 

[antigravite]

source: eastwestpendulum.com

 

[antigravite]

Context. Reminder…

Chinese Hypersonic Developments comments from [ELIXIR] on a French-based forum
http://forummarine.forumactif.com/t7274-information-developpement-des-technologies-hypersoniques

A.

 

[antigravite]

Hi

In early august, PopSci published an article discussing Chinese aerospace hypersonics R&D, after CCTV13 aired a special report on that.
Not everything's good but there are interesting pieces of information. At first sight, for instance, the so-called "Shadow Dragon" hypersonic bomber student project… is nothing else than a copycat of AVATAR, India's first step in hypersonic airbreathing SSTO project "brainchilded" in the mid-1980s as a response to NASP (sort of). And this information lacks in the article while UK's Reaction Engines projects are put forth.

Jeffrey Lin and P.W. Singer, ""CHINA'S HYBRID SPACEPLANE COULD RESET THE 21ST CENTURY SPACE RACE IT TAKES OFF FROM A RUNWAY, FLIES AT HYPERSONIC SPEEDS, THEN ROCKETS INTO ORBIT", Popular Science, August 9, 2016
http://www.popsci.com/chinas-hybrid-spaceplane-could-reset-21st-century-space-race

A.

 

[flateric]

Not everything's good

I'd say that everything is bad...

 

[seruriermarshal]

Hi

In early august, PopSci published an article discussing Chinese aerospace hypersonics R&D, after CCTV13 aired a special report on that.
Not everything's good but there are interesting pieces of information. At first sight, for instance, the so-called "Shadow Dragon" hypersonic bomber student project… is nothing else than a copycat of AVATAR, India's first step in hypersonic airbreathing SSTO project "brainchilded" in the mid-1980s as a response to NASP (sort of). And this information lacks in the article while UK's Reaction Engines projects are put forth.

Jeffrey Lin and P.W. Singer, ""CHINA'S HYBRID SPACEPLANE COULD RESET THE 21ST CENTURY SPACE RACE IT TAKES OFF FROM A RUNWAY, FLIES AT HYPERSONIC SPEEDS, THEN ROCKETS INTO ORBIT", Popular Science, August 9, 2016
http://www.popsci.com/chinas-hybrid-spaceplane-could-reset-21st-century-space-race

A.

The pic like Blue Origin's New Shephard .

 

[flateric]

it's not like, it is New Sheperd. Picture at the headline is a Skylon.

 

[antigravite]

Hi

In early august, PopSci published an article discussing Chinese aerospace hypersonics R&D, after CCTV13 aired a special report on that.
Not everything's good but there are interesting pieces of information. At first sight, for instance, the so-called "Shadow Dragon" hypersonic bomber student project… is nothing else than a copycat of AVATAR, India's first step in hypersonic airbreathing SSTO project "brainchilded" in the mid-1980s as a response to NASP (sort of). And this information lacks in the article while UK's Reaction Engines projects are put forth.

Jeffrey Lin and P.W. Singer, ""CHINA'S HYBRID SPACEPLANE COULD RESET THE 21ST CENTURY SPACE RACE IT TAKES OFF FROM A RUNWAY, FLIES AT HYPERSONIC SPEEDS, THEN ROCKETS INTO ORBIT", Popular Science, August 9, 2016
http://www.popsci.com/chinas-hybrid-spaceplane-could-reset-21st-century-space-race

A.

The pic like Blue Origin's New Shephard .

In the realm of images, this is pure China style. They recycle other's material to discuss their own projects.
IMHO, what matters most, here, is the existence of a CCTV13 which sounds like an official stepping stone, prelude to bigger acknowledgments.
China does not communicate as we do. And this is why the CCTV13 piece of news is interesting. Weak signal.

A.

 

[martinbayer]

In the realm of images, this is pure China style. They recycle other's material to discuss their own projects. ... China does not communicate as we do.

Sure - it's called 'plagiarizing'. I really wish they would realize how much face they globally lose that way...

Martin

 

[antigravite]

it's not like, it is New Sheperd. Picture at the headline is a Skylon.

Yep. Some info here:
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-04/21/c_135300443.htm

Last year, I read on a Chinese blog that a special conference / symposium had been conveyed to discuss the impact of operational, private-sector reusable launchers. Because it does impact the Chinese launch market too. I haven't been able to secure this link and lost this information. But there was a first conference held on this subject in China for sure.

A.

 

[antigravite]

Hi there,

In late August 2016, the Second Chinese graduate future flight vehicle innovation competition (National Defense University) was organized. Interesting "things" happened there, and UAV fans should really take a look (for those interested in urban warfare UAV concepts).

A video program was aired on js7tv, and is still available online, with many students and tutors interviews:

http://www.js7tv.cn/video/201608_58476.html

Some students copied the US Lockheed-Martin Skunk Works HTV3X / Blackswift "concept" (see attachment picture).
While other (one of winning teams) did their homework.
Enjoy

A.

 

[antigravite]

Hi there.

As aways, the [ELIXIR organization], using the [Henri Kenhmann] alias, recently posted new information detailling a decade worth of basic R&D investment in the field of hypersonics, under the auspices of the NSFC (Natural Science Foundation of China).

China's hypersonic program referred to as "近空间飞行器的关键基础科学问题" -- which could be roughly translated as "Key Fundamental Scientific Issues of Near-Space vehicle" -- is now completed; what the French blog delivers is a summarized history, overview, some statistics and results, which I am not able to fact check (yet). So as always, take all this with a grain of salt and try to grab the original state report from which the [Elixir organization] draws their conclusion, no matter what. Fact check and keep it simple, stupid.

http://www.eastpendulum.com/hypersonique-programme-rd-fondamentale

China made tremendous investments in hypersonics, with many, different, parallel, overlapping programs from various (competing) organizations. Not surprizingly, the aforementionned "近空间飞行器的关键基础科学问题" program was key to set up a technology base as well as as an applied engineering / scientist workforce skilled in the art of exploring a future battlespace: "near space". And were not talking stratospheric blimps, which is a separate chapter of interest!

Enjoy.

A.

 

[bipa]

Sigh...
Explain why those people take a picture of SJX61 in a NASA wind tunnel and label it with BS like "JF-12 in IMECH wind tunnel".
Seriously...?

 

[antigravite]

Sigh...
Explain why those people take a picture of SJX61 in a NASA wind tunnel and label it with BS like "JF-12 in IMECH wind tunnel".
Seriously...?

Thank you for fact checking this tiny part of the [Elixir organization] claims. I was wondering the same. And there are other areas raising eyebrows, since the beginning.
Personal experience/feedback: when a Chinese project / subject is classified and requires some form of publicity, western artwork is very often used to make the point.

A.

 

[martinbayer]

Personal experience/feedback: when a Chinese project / subject is classified and requires some form of publicity, western artwork is very often used to make the point.

A.K.A. Piracy of Intellectual Property, a Chinese hallmark these days...

 

[antigravite]

Hi,
An interesting patent issued last year which had escaped my attention.
Hypersonic aircraft aero-propulsive integrated layout method based on combined power

A.

 

[antigravite]

Hi ,

I didn 't know where to put that one, so this is likely misplaced in this thread…
Lots of media blurb going on for a couple of weeks on an I-shaped hypersonic vehicle studied in China.
This is not *new* and presentations were made a few years back, in AIAA journals.

1 - Kai Cui, Guang-Li Li, Yao Xiao, and Ying-Zhou Xu. "High-Pressure Capturing Wing Configurations", AIAA Journal, Vol. 55, No. 6 (2017), pp. 1909-1919.
https://doi.org/10.2514/1.J055395
link: https://arc.aiaa.org/doi/10.2514/1.J055395


2 - The source paper drawing so much attention these days, can be downloaded from here:

https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11433-017-9117-8.pdf

Citation: K. Cui, Y. Xiao, Y. Z. Xu, and G. L. Li, Hypersonic I-shaped aerodynamic configurations, Sci. China-Phys. Mech. Astron. 61, 024722 (2018),
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11433-017-9117-8

Authors from: Key Laboratory of High Temperature Gas Dynamics of Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China; School of Engineering Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China

A.

 

[litzj]

http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/8295169/

as a weapon development, control laws for actuator fault is needed

 

[bobbymike]

First display of "Lingyun” hypersonic Chinese missile.

Interesting looks familiar

 

[sferrin]

Is it Doubleplusungood* to point out when China copies things now? Given the rabid denial of such a thing I thought it would be helpful to point out when blatant examples pop up for educational purposes.



* - From George Orwell's 1984.

 

[antigravite]

First display of "Lingyun” hypersonic Chinese missile.

Interesting looks familiar

"Lingyun 1, a hypersonic aircraft that can travel at more than five times the speed of sound, or 6,100 kilometer per hour, made its public debut at the museum on Saturday. It was developed by the College of Aerospace Science and Technology at the National University of Defense Technology.

The craft has a Chinese-designed supersonic combustion ramjet engine, also known as scramjet, the exhibition panel relates. The missile-shaped Lingyun made its maiden flight in 2015, making it the second low-cost, multipurpose hypersonic vehicle known to the public - the other is the HIFiRE vehicle jointly developed by the United States and Australia."

source: Zhang Zhihao, "Spotlight focused on science, tech frontiers", China Daily, May 21, 2018
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201805/21/WS5b0216afa3103f6866ee982d.html
(emphasis added)

A.

 

[bobbymike]

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/2166298/china-takes-step-towards-precision-warheads-unstoppable-nuclear

Tests of three scaled-down models of “wide-speed-range vehicles”, which can fly at from hypersonic velocity to lower than the speed of sound, were carried out on September 21 at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

In the news footage, three models representing differently shaped designs, code named D18-1S, D18-2S and D18-3S, were lifted and then dropped from a balloon.

This was China’s first test of this type of hypersonic aircraft, whose speed will be adjustable, meaning its scientists are working on another major aim – precision strike – towards an unstoppable nuclear-capable weapon.