Chinese Hypersonic Developments (HGVs/HCMs)

by78 · Dec 15, 2024

Some images of an experimental MD-19 hypersonic aircraft, seen here being released from a TB-001 UAV. It has gone through extensive testing, accumulating some nine test flights. It's apparently the first hypersonic aircraft in the world to achieve horizontal landing and the world's first to have returned safely after a flight in near space.

Neurosmith · Monday at 1:39 AM

ACuriousPLAFan said:
A TB-001(D?) UAV launched a MD-19 wide-area/range space-flying vehicle (宽域空间飞行器) for a recovery flight test.

Posted by @洋务先驱张之洞 on Weibo.

View attachment 140945
View attachment 140946

Video here:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1868487030151496125

Dante80 · Monday at 10:00 AM

by78 said:
It's apparently the first hypersonic aircraft in the world to achieve horizontal landing and the world's first to have returned safely after a flight in near space.

I'm pretty sure that both statements are wrong (X-15 did that back in the 60s, while also being a manned platform)?

Intention · Monday at 10:24 AM

Dante80 said:
I'm pretty sure that both statements are wrong (X-15 did that back in the 60s, while also being a manned platform)?

They must mean landing on a runway. The X-15 couldn't land on a conventional runway. It had skis instead of rear landing gear.

Dante80 · Monday at 10:28 AM

Intention said:
They must mean landing on a runway. The X-15 couldn't land on a conventional runway. It had skis instead of rear landing gear.

That would be a pretty lame differentiator (that also makes zero sense to brag about as a "first"). I'm sure they didn't mean that.
Second statement would still be wrong anyway.

ACuriousPLAFan · Monday at 10:34 AM

Hopefully whatever comes out of the MD-19 and MD-22 development progresses will become China's answer (as a counterpart) to the SR-72.

China does need ISTAR platforms in both subsonic + VLO + high-altitude and hypersonic + near-space categories.

tphuang · Monday at 11:16 AM

The TV program on this. Looks like MD-21 is the one that completed the most important test in 2021. I'm sure they are much further ahead now.

The strategic nature of this platform is hard to overstate

zayid · Monday at 11:17 AM

ACuriousPLAFan said:
Hopefully whatever comes out of the MD-19 and MD-22 development progresses will become China's answer (as a counterpart) to the SR-72.

China does need ISTAR platforms in both subsonic + VLO + high-altitude and hypersonic + near-space categories.

hmmm WZ-XX

tphuang · Monday at 11:26 AM

just look at the development team. All so young. this is going to be a very productive team.

This likely can initially replace WZ-8 for surveillance, but longer term you'd want to use it for strike also. After all, with all the satellites they have in the air, there isn't as much need for near space/hypersonic surveillance.

ougoah · Monday at 8:39 PM

zayid said:
hmmm WZ-XX

Where did you get this image from? Is it a CGI showing a MD-xx/ WZ-xx project or photo capturing actual flight?

Chinese Hypersonic Developments (HGVs/HCMs)

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