Flight

China Experiments with Supersonic Engine for Beijing to New York in 2 Hours

The new engine uses shock waves

By: Nam Nguyen, Journalist

March 20, 2025

Beijing to New York in just 2 hours

A Chinese aerospace firm, Space Transportation-or more commonly, Lingkong Tianxing Technology-conducted its maiden test of a detonation ramjet engine, dubbed the Jindouyun or JinDou400, to zoom passengers from Beijing to New York in just two hours. According to one Chinese news site, the engine achieved an unprecedented speed of 3,106 mph (5,000 km/h), or a reflective Mach 4, above 65,600 feet (12.4 miles). Last month, researchers from Beijing, Tsinghua University, introduced another engine called the Ram-Rotor Detonation Engine, which combines rotary detonation, rotor compressor, and ramjet technology.

New Engine Power Unleashed

This new detonation engine does not use compressors or turbines like conventional rocket and jet engines; it generates its power utilizing shock waves from explosively burning substances. This is stronger per unit of weight, cheaper to build, and more straightforward. The South China Morning Post (SCMP) says it is very small-just fewer than 11.8 inches wide, 9.8 feet long-yet still gives 880 pounds (400 kilograms) of thrust. The test validated its electrical, fuel, and control systems, demonstrating it was steady and reliable, a formidable step from prototype to real deal. In the meantime, the Ram-Rotor Detonation Engine (RRDE) of Tsinghua paves a way to smooth, efficient thrust and solves problems like slow starts and inconsistent power in other detonation engines. It constricts, detonates, and expels mixtures of fuel and air in one compact block through a steady casing and rotating blades, thereby throttling shock waves and ameliorating performance. The Rochefleur RRDE can adapt rotor speed to vastly improve problems from super-high-speed transport to aircraft.

Pushing for Super-Fast Flights

The tests conducted by Space Transportation are of particular importance, as they will facilitate the manufacture of the supersonic plane Yunxing for people-an important progress for the company. According to South China Morning Post (SCMP), in late October, they had taken a flight on a Yunxing prototype and test of controls, heat protection, and airflow, among many other critical parts. The last large supersonic passenger aircraft before concessions were made, Concorde, began flying in 1976 and ceased operating in 2003, using turbojet engines meant to reach Mach 2, fly at 60,000 feet (18,300 meters), and take off and land like regular aircraft. Yunxing takes it one step further with brand new technology, hitting more than 65,600 feet (20,000 meters), nicking Mach 4, and taking off and landing even vertically. Its operation is initiated through a booster, which detaches aerially to perform an extremely high-speed maneuver near its destination, whereupon it resumes subsonic speed and lands vertically using a liquid rocket engine. SCMP reports claims that numerous tests by the company have been conducted to perfect slowing down and landing; everything is part of some broader vision about facilitating rapid civilian travel. By 2027 they wish to launch Mach 4 with a passenger, thus paving the way for the first high-speed commercial flight from one point to another by 2030.