The Cuantianhou supersonic aircraft prototype, 7 meters long and weighing 1.5 tons, is expected to make its first test flight in 2026.
Cuantianhou will be nearly five times faster than conventional jets. Image: China Daily
Lingkong Tianxing Technology, an aerospace company headquartered in Beijing, announced at a press conference in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, on January 20 that the aircraft model tested new hypersonic technology. They are in the research and development phase and are expected to make their first test flight in 2026.
The prototype aircraft, named Cuantianhou, or Flying Monkey, will be 7 meters long and weigh 1.5 tons, according to Deng Fan, the company’s chief engineer. The vehicle uses a slim aerodynamic design to significantly reduce air resistance and improve flight performance.
Deng said the aircraft advances thanks to its modern ram-rotor engine, which integrates a rotary engine, rotor compressor and ramjet technology. The engine system, Jindou-400S, is also being researched at Lingkong Tianxing Technology. This 1.9 m engine will weigh only 100 kg and can produce at least 4,000 newtons of thrust.
“This engine will allow Cuantianhou to fly at a maximum speed of Mach 4.2, equivalent to about 5,000 km/h, which is nearly 5 times faster than a conventional jet,” Deng said. He also pledged that, even though the plane is extremely fast, passengers on the supersonic flight will be completely safe from acceleration effects.
A booster rocket will launch Cuantianhou to an altitude of about 20 km, after which the aircraft continues to fly on its own. Deng did not reveal how the plane landed, but he said most of its journey would take place in “near space”.
Near space is the atmospheric region located between 20 – 100 km above sea level, including parts of the stratosphere, mesosphere, and thermosphere. This region is above the maximum altitude of commercial airliners but below orbital satellites.
A commercial supersonic aircraft prototype named Dasheng, or Monkey King, is expected to make its first flight in 2030. If that becomes a reality, Dasheng will revolutionize the global air transport industry, according to Deng. “Imagine an intercontinental flight that only lasts 2-3 hours when today it takes you 10 hours or more,” he said.