Iaotian-1, a Chinese hypersonic reentry demonstrator

Deino

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Iaotian-1 (or Aotian-1), a Chinese hypersonic reentry demonstrator flown tested on 20/09/2013 ???

Not sure if this is the correct tread for this "thing" but following a recent tread started by a member of the Secret-Projects Forum, I simply wanted to ask here for more ...

Hi,

Available information on Iaotian-1 is still confusing and remains to be pieced up properly.

China has seemingly flown-tested, on september 20, 2013 an unpowered vehicle code-named Iaotian-1 (遨天1号) in the Hulun Buir region (northeastern inner Mongolia) a region of grasslands and high steppes. And now a test range too.

This project would originate from CALT (Chinese Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology) and as such might be a direct heir of their "old" project 921-706 (the RLV rival of Shenzhou). CALT is part of CASC.

As of today, other forum sources, where chinese-speaking members comment ([Elixir] and [Henri K.]), indicate that:
(1) the information originates from CALT
(2) this information was essentially targeted towards Western websites to pass it along, with scant information available on screened chinese forums (Weibo, etc.)
(3) one or more pictures posted on Weibo by a project member, were immediately erased, but some managed to be archived (see below)
The picture is said to originate from this blog:

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!


(4) the vehicle -- which, to the best of other knowledgable Chinese-speaking forum members, has not been pictured yet -- but would bear striking similarities with Dream Chaser (well, project 50/50 and Bor4 would have been a better historical reference for the sake of accuracy). Conditional is important: Dream Chaser was flown tested last week and there might be some sort of confusion here.

All of these information need confirmation from other sources.

Anyone?

;)

antigravite

PS) This post draws heavily from information made available by [Henri K.] and [Elixir] who is/are very active on other space-related forums (although this might be the same person using different aliases).

All chinese articles I read through so far (thx googletranslate!) just comment on information made available on western blogs. No real "news". And lots of nationalistic statements on the glorious chinese ability to catch up with US technological marvels in force projection (with a mix of FOBS, X-37B, J-20 along the way). Few interesting comments but loads of crap. From what I could read up to now, Iaotian-1 is described as a transatmospheric vehicle capable of orbiting the earth once. It is said to be similar to the "Dream Chaser". Again, this is all confusing and I am looking forward to reading other independent news to corroborate all that.

Very intriguing indeed.

antigravite

9uhc.jpg


Any more info available ???

Deino
 

Deino

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Thanks but to admit patience is really not my best virtue … I don’t want to wait !!
 

kroko

Senior Member
China has seemingly flown-tested, on september 20, 2013 an unpowered vehicle code-named Iaotian-1 (遨天1号) in the Hulun Buir region (northeastern inner Mongolia) a region of grasslands and high steppes. And now a test range too.

hulun buir region? thats in the border with russia. I have doubts that china would want to test unpowered planes on that place. Could fall into the wrong side of the border...
 

siegecrossbow

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The only information on this was the aforementioned blog post, but even that was take down pretty quickly. I think waiting is the better option here, unless you want the wall climbers to go to Inner Mongolia.
 

Deino

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Again from antigravite ...

Patent No. CN202944563
Issued: 2013-05-22
Wing body connecting layer type embedding structure of silicon substrate heat proof layer for hypersonic flight vehicle
Inventor(s): CHEN WEIHUA; ZHAO CUIMEI; CAO ZHANWEI; WANG ZHENGYU; ZHOU KEHUA; YU MINGXING; LIU QUAN +
Applicant(s): BEIJING NEAR SPACE AEROCRAFT SYSTEM ENGINEERING INST; CN ACADEMY LAUNCH VEHICLE TECH
Application number: CN20122540192U 20121022
Abstract : The utility model belongs to a wing body connecting structure of a flight device, and in particular discloses a wing body connecting layer type embedding structure of a silicon substrate heat proof layer for a hypersonic flight vehicle. The structure comprises a wing heat proof layer, a wing metal structure, a metal framework and a cone heat proof layer. The wing heat proof layer is arranged outside the wing metal structure, the cone heat proof layer is arranged outside the metal framework, and the wing heat proof layer is arranged inside the cone heat proof layer. The connecting structure provided by the utility model can be used for preventing the wing front tip of the wing metal structure from warping to from a sharp stagnation point and overcoming the severe problem that the wing body connection which is not protected by the heat proof layer is directly invaded by hot air flows.
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Patent No. CN202946516
Issued: 2013-05-22
Screw thermal protection device
Inventor(s): CUI PIN; ZHANG HONGYU; ZHAN XUJUN; LIU GUOQIAN; CUI PENGFEI; WANG SHUYU; WANG SHAOHUA +
Applicant(s): BEIJING NEAR SPACE AEROCRAFT SYSTEM ENGINEERING INST; CN ACADEMY LAUNCH VEHICLE TECH)
Application number: CN20122533222U 20121018
Priority number(s): CN20122533222U 20121018
Abstract : The utility model belongs to the technical field of thermal protection, in particular to the screw thermal protection device. The screw thermal protection device comprises a cone-shaped sleeve, a heat insulation cushion a, a heat insulation cushion b, a heat proof hat and a flexible heat insulation felt. The screw thermal protection device solves the technical problems that a screw thermal protection device in the prior art is insufficient in shear-bearing capacity and poor in high-temperature resistance, and hardly bears a high-heat-flow high-speed high-dynamic-pressure pneumatic environment of a hypersonic velocity gliding aircraft bottom sunshade device, and improves shear-bearing capacity and high-temperature performance obviously, ensures sufficient connecting strong stiffness of an ordinary screw under the act of a bottom hostile heat environment, achieves reliable connection of devices on the bottom sunshade of the aircraft bottom under the act of high heat flow, high speed and high dynamic pressure pneumatic loading.
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Patent No. CN103044057
Date Issued : 2013-04-17
Carbon foam in-situ reinforced carbon aerogel high-temperature thermal insulation material and preparation method thereof
Inventor(s): LI JUNNING; HU ZIJUN; SUN CHENCHENG; WANG XIAOTING; SONG ZHAOXU Applicant(s): AEROSPACE RES INST OF MATERIALS AND PROC TECHNOLOGY; CN ACADEMY LAUNCH VEHICLE TECH
Application number: CN2013112731 20130114
Priority number(s): CN2013112731 20130114
Abstract : The invention relates to a carbon foam in-situ reinforced carbon aerogel high-temperature thermal insulation material and a preparation method thereof; the carbon foam in-situ reinforced carbon aerogel high-temperature thermal insulation material has the characteristics of high temperature resistance, low heat conductivity and high strength, and is applicable to thermal protection system of the hypersonic speed aircraft, belonging to the technical field of high-temperature thermal insulation material. The thermal insulation material takes carbon foam which is formed in an in-situ manner as a reinforcing skeleton and carbon aerogel as a substrate, and eliminates pores between the carbon foam skeleton and the carbon aerogel caused by the conventional reinforcing method through a common carbonization; the prepared carbon foam reinforced carbon aerogel has the characteristics of high temperature resistance, low heat conductivity and high strength, and is machinable; the room temperature heat conductivity can be reduced to 0.04W/m.k, and the maximum use temperature in an inert atmosphere can reach 3000 DEG C.
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Patent No. CN102447518
Issued : 2012-05-09
Signal channel comprehensive processing method used under near space hypersonic velocity condition
Inventor(s): LIANG YANG; YONGQIANG QIN; ZHENGGUANG HE +
Applicant(s): NEAR SPACE INST FOR AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS ENGINEERING; CN ACADEMY LAUNCH VEHICLE TECH +
Application number: CN20111356261 20111110
Priority number(s): CN20111356261 20111110
Abstract : The invention belongs to the signal channel processing method and specifically relates to a signal channel comprehensive processing method used under near space hypersonic velocity condition and aims to simulate influence of bad change of physical environment to communication. In the signal channel comprehensive processing method, when the near space aircraft is communicating with a ground base, the signal channel processing of the two parties in the communication comprises free space attenuation, atmosphere attenuation, multipath effect, Doppler shift, spatial noise and plasma sheath layer signal channel; when the near space aircraft is communicating with a space base, the signal channel processing comprises space attenuation, spatial noise, multipath effect, Doppler shift and plasma sheath layer signal channel. The invention accurately simulates signal transmission state under near space complex environment, covers physical characteristics such as black-out area, rain attenuation, low angle of elevation and etc.
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Patent No. CN202420804
Date Issued: 2012-09-05
Modal test measuring device for hypersonic speed aircraft rudder structure at high temperature of 1400 DEG C
Inventor(s): DAFANG WU; MENG MOU; LIN ZHU; ANFENG ZHOU +
Applicant(s): UNIV BEIHANG +
Application number: CN2012233383U 20120202
Priority number(s): CN2012233383U 20120202
Abstract :A modal test measuring device for a hypersonic speed aircraft rudder structure at high temperature of 1400 DEG C comprises a hypersonic speed aircraft rudder structure test part, an L-shaped fixing structure, a water-cooled cooling pipeline, a silicon carbon infrared radiation array, a shock excitation source, a molybdenum force transmission rod, a molybdenum bar guide rod, an acceleration transducer, a double platinum rhodium thermocouple transducer, a computer and a high-temperature ceramic heat insulation plate. When in a hypersonic speed aircraft rudder structure test, the silicon carbon infrared radiation array heats the rudder structure, simultaneously, the shock excitation source generates random vibration, and accordingly a high-temperature thermal vibration coupling test environment is formed. The metal molybdenum bar guide rod is directly mounted on the hypersonic speed aircraft rudder structure, vibration signals of the hypersonic speed aircraft rudder structure are transmitted out of a high-temperature thermal field at the temperature of 1400 DEG C, the normal-temperature acceleration transducer mounted at a cold end of the molybdenum bar guide rod is used for dynamically measuring thermal modal signals of the rudder structure, the thermal modal signals of the rudder structure are guided to a normal temperature region, and an effective dynamic high-temperature thermal modal test means is provided for developing a hypersonic speed long-range strategic aircraft.
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Patent No. CN102539099
Date Issued : 2012-07-04
Measuring device for 1400 DEG C high-temperature modal test of wing helm structure of hypersonic aircraft
Inventor(s): DAFANG WU; BING PAN; YUEWU WANG; BING SUN; LIMING ZHENG +
Applicant(s): UNIV BEIHANG +
Application number: CN2012123576 20120202
Priority number(s): CN2012123576 20120202
Abstract : The invention relates to a measuring device for a 1400 DEG C high-temperature modal test of a wing helm structure of a hypersonic aircraft. The measuring device comprises a test piece of the wing helm structure of the hypersonic aircraft, an L-shaped fixed bracket, a water-cooling pipeline, a silicon carbon infrared radiation array, an excitation source, a molybdenum force transfer rod, a molybdenum-rod guide bar, an acceleration sensor, a dual platinum rhodium thermocouple sensor, a computer and a high-temperature ceramic heat-insulating plate. When the test for the wing helm structure of the hypersonic aircraft is performed, the wing helm structure is heated by the silicon carbon infrared radiation array, and meanwhile, the excitation source is randomly vibrated, thereby forming an environment of a high-temperature thermal vibrating coupling test. The metal molybdenum-rod guide bar is directly mounted on the wing helm structure of the hypersonic aircraft; a vibrating signal of the wing helm structure of the hypersonic aircraft is transferred to a place beyond a 1400 DEG C high-temperature thermal field; a normal-temperature acceleration sensor is mounted at a cold end of the molybdenum-rod guide bar, so as to dynamically measure a thermal modal signal of the wing helm structure introduced into a normal temperature area; and the invention provides an effective dynamical high-temperature thermal modal test means for developing a hypersonic remote strategic aircraft.
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Patent No. CN101885380

Date Issued: 2010-11-17
Asymmetrical design method for leading edge of hypersonic vehicle
Inventor(s): LURONG XIE; WEIXING WANG; RONGWEI GUO +
Applicant(s): UNIV NANJING AERONAUTICS
Application number: CN20101225463 20100713
Priority number(s): CN20101225463 20100713
Also published as: CN101885380 (
Abstract : The invention relates to an asymmetrical design method for the leading edge of a hypersonic vehicle, belonging to the technical field of hypersonic vehicles. The method is characterized by comprising design steps of a lip cover leading edge (1) and a compression surface leading edge (2). The design steps of the lip cover leading edge are as follows: making an auxiliary line perpendicular to a first form line and a fourth form line which are parallel to each other; chamfering the auxiliary line ant the first form line with RL=d to obtain an auxiliary arc; and chamfering the auxiliary arc and the fourth form line with rC to obtain a second form line and a third form line. The design steps of the compression surface leading edge are as follows: chamfering the compression surface leading edgeto determine a leading edge point; making an auxiliary line perpendicular to the angular bisector of the first form line and the fourth form line through the leading edge point; chamfering the first form line and the auxiliary line with rC to obtain a second form line; and chamfering the fourth form line and the auxiliary line with RC to obtain a third form line tangent to the second form line. Compared with a symmetrical configuration, rL/RL is greater than 0.06 and less than 0.2, and the peak value of heat flow of the lip cover leading edge is furthest decreased by 27.4 percent; and rC/RC is greater than 0 and less than 1, the total pressure recovery of a gas inlet channel is furthest increased by 11.6 percent, and the capture flow is furthest increased by 6.29 percent.
 

siegecrossbow

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hulun buir region? thats in the border with russia. I have doubts that china would want to test unpowered planes on that place. Could fall into the wrong side of the border...

The Shenzhou series is also unpowered during its reentry phase, and the Siziwang Banner landing site is right next to Mongolia. What is your point?
 

AssassinsMace

Lieutenant General
I think I've seen pics of the Dream Chaser or the Bor4 being dropped from a helicopter from high altitude. Deino's pic of the Mi-26 suggests maybe something similar. I doubt if there was a malfunction it would reach Russia. If it did all it would say is how great the aerodynamics. Besides if this story turns out to be true, how many are going to say China got it from the Russians?
 
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