I think the whole aircraft would be 7m in length
Chinese Hypersonic Developments (HGVs/HCMs)
- Thread starter A.Man
- Start date
I think the whole aircraft would be 7m in length
Hendrik_2000
Lieutenant General
From Henri K blog
Start of production in (small) series of the Chinese hypersonic drone?
BY
A central fuselage entirely made of titanium by 3D printing, a manufacturing process that lasted six months in total ... Here are the few new items made public last week that could have a direct link with programs of Chinese hypersonic drone.
According to an article published this Saturday on a site specializing in 3D printing - preferably called "Additive Manufacturing" in the industrial environment - the "main structure" of a "very high speed flying machine" was recently delivered by the group Chinese TSC (鑫 精 合) to a customer whose name was not disclosed.
The text indicates that the part in question is 7 x 3 mm long, 2 x 3 mm wide and 1 x 3 mm high. Its manufacture required six months of work, as opposed to "two years if it had been done by normal methods".
We also learn that this "main structure" should withstand strong mechanical constraints and meet the high requirements on its dimensions, because of the delicate environment associated with flying at very high speed (hypersonic?).
TSC Beijing then had to carry out numerous fundamental studies and experiments, notably around technologies such as Laser Metal Deposition (LMD), WAAM (Wire + Arc Additive Manufacturing) and Laser Welding (LW), so that the final product can reach the expected level. , as an overall deformation of this structure made entirely of titanium which should not exceed 0.5 mm.
The article also concludes that this delivery has built a solid theoretical and practical foundation for "future mass production" without giving further details.
TSC-S4510, the world's largest 3D printer designed by the TSC group
The "main structure" being delivered.
The evidence revealed by this article suggests that the aircraft, since it is a flying machine, is small in size compared to a piloted aircraft. It is also thought to be small in size, in accordance with its "very high speed" flight range, which is supposed to be hypersonic, and also the shape of the joint of this structure with the wing.
In the middle of the room is a cylindrical pipe with a diameter of about one meter, which also suggests that the device is propelled. Given the flight domain in which it operates and the current maturity of the various propulsion systems in China allowing the craft to reach the hypersonic domain, it can be assumed that it is either a RBCC or a ramjet.
And the general form of this integral piece is mostly reminiscent of the image of a hypersonic drone designed by the 611 Chengdu Institute, published in several patents filed in late December 2015 by this design office which has developed several Chinese fighter planes like the J-10 and the J-20, or the drones like the EA-03.
This same drone has already been the subject of our study in the " "Written last year, or" In 2016.
But given the appearance that seems to be still experimental of this manufactured part, it is plausible that it is a first prototype part intended to undergo numerous tests in order to validate the processes by the customer or the competent entities .
A quick search on TSJ Beijing shows that the company is not only certified GJB 9001B-2009 (国 军 标 质量 质量 体系 体系 认证), a Chinese military grade management standard, but also has obtained the National Privacy Certification (国家 保密资格 认证), the license for research and development of weapons and military equipment (武器 装备 科研 生产 许可) and the official qualification of arms supplier (武器 资格 承 制 单位).
In other words, the Chinese group is qualified to develop and produce military equipment for the State or other approved entities.
We will wait for more elements to come to discover more about this or these hypersonic drone Chinese, including the purpose of their development and their doctrine of use. We will certainly have the opportunity to come back.
To be continued.
Henri K.
Start of production in (small) series of the Chinese hypersonic drone?
BY
A central fuselage entirely made of titanium by 3D printing, a manufacturing process that lasted six months in total ... Here are the few new items made public last week that could have a direct link with programs of Chinese hypersonic drone.
According to an article published this Saturday on a site specializing in 3D printing - preferably called "Additive Manufacturing" in the industrial environment - the "main structure" of a "very high speed flying machine" was recently delivered by the group Chinese TSC (鑫 精 合) to a customer whose name was not disclosed.
The text indicates that the part in question is 7 x 3 mm long, 2 x 3 mm wide and 1 x 3 mm high. Its manufacture required six months of work, as opposed to "two years if it had been done by normal methods".
We also learn that this "main structure" should withstand strong mechanical constraints and meet the high requirements on its dimensions, because of the delicate environment associated with flying at very high speed (hypersonic?).
TSC Beijing then had to carry out numerous fundamental studies and experiments, notably around technologies such as Laser Metal Deposition (LMD), WAAM (Wire + Arc Additive Manufacturing) and Laser Welding (LW), so that the final product can reach the expected level. , as an overall deformation of this structure made entirely of titanium which should not exceed 0.5 mm.
The article also concludes that this delivery has built a solid theoretical and practical foundation for "future mass production" without giving further details.
TSC-S4510, the world's largest 3D printer designed by the TSC group
The "main structure" being delivered.
The evidence revealed by this article suggests that the aircraft, since it is a flying machine, is small in size compared to a piloted aircraft. It is also thought to be small in size, in accordance with its "very high speed" flight range, which is supposed to be hypersonic, and also the shape of the joint of this structure with the wing.
In the middle of the room is a cylindrical pipe with a diameter of about one meter, which also suggests that the device is propelled. Given the flight domain in which it operates and the current maturity of the various propulsion systems in China allowing the craft to reach the hypersonic domain, it can be assumed that it is either a RBCC or a ramjet.
And the general form of this integral piece is mostly reminiscent of the image of a hypersonic drone designed by the 611 Chengdu Institute, published in several patents filed in late December 2015 by this design office which has developed several Chinese fighter planes like the J-10 and the J-20, or the drones like the EA-03.
This same drone has already been the subject of our study in the " "Written last year, or" In 2016.
But given the appearance that seems to be still experimental of this manufactured part, it is plausible that it is a first prototype part intended to undergo numerous tests in order to validate the processes by the customer or the competent entities .
A quick search on TSJ Beijing shows that the company is not only certified GJB 9001B-2009 (国 军 标 质量 质量 体系 体系 认证), a Chinese military grade management standard, but also has obtained the National Privacy Certification (国家 保密资格 认证), the license for research and development of weapons and military equipment (武器 装备 科研 生产 许可) and the official qualification of arms supplier (武器 资格 承 制 单位).
In other words, the Chinese group is qualified to develop and produce military equipment for the State or other approved entities.
We will wait for more elements to come to discover more about this or these hypersonic drone Chinese, including the purpose of their development and their doctrine of use. We will certainly have the opportunity to come back.
To be continued.
Henri K.
SinoSoldier
Colonel
As the honorable Henri K. has pointed out, the Lingyun-1 isn't the only hypersonic scramjet testbed built in China. The MF-1, which was developed by CARDC (China Aerodynamics Research and Development Center), bears a high degree of similarity to the Lingyun-1; in fact, the two testbeds were flown in December 2015 just two weeks apart.
The first test of the MF-1 occurred on December 30, 2015, at the Jiuqian spaceport. The MF-1 achieved a maximum speed of Mach 5.33 and a maximum altitude of 63.3 kilometers. For comparison, the Lingyun-1 achieved a top speed of Mach 7 and an altitude of 30 km. The purpose of the MF-1 test was to study the phenomena of laminar-turbulent transition and shockwave/boundary-layer interaction in fluid dynamics.
It is possible, given the closeness of their first flights, that the two systems are in competition for a future hypersonic scramjet-powered missile. It is also possible that this is China's answer to catch up to the Indo-Russian BrahMos-II which will achieve similar speeds.
I highly encourage users to read the swath of open-source information that Henri K. has managed to collect & analyze:
(Lingyun1 on the left, MF-1 on the right)
The first test of the MF-1 occurred on December 30, 2015, at the Jiuqian spaceport. The MF-1 achieved a maximum speed of Mach 5.33 and a maximum altitude of 63.3 kilometers. For comparison, the Lingyun-1 achieved a top speed of Mach 7 and an altitude of 30 km. The purpose of the MF-1 test was to study the phenomena of laminar-turbulent transition and shockwave/boundary-layer interaction in fluid dynamics.
It is possible, given the closeness of their first flights, that the two systems are in competition for a future hypersonic scramjet-powered missile. It is also possible that this is China's answer to catch up to the Indo-Russian BrahMos-II which will achieve similar speeds.
I highly encourage users to read the swath of open-source information that Henri K. has managed to collect & analyze:
(Lingyun1 on the left, MF-1 on the right)
SinoSoldier
Colonel
Breaking news:
A third scramjet-powered testbed, named the XingKong-2 (Star-2), has been successfully tested. It is supposedly CASC's first Waverider-like scramjet testbed.
Top speed was Mach 5.5-6 and the altitude was 30 km. The rocket released the scramjet vehicle after 10 minutes of flight, after which the vehicle flew for 400 seconds by itself.
Video:
********
Recall that in December 2015, two different Scramjet systems have been tested: the Lingyun-1 and the MF-1
An article detailing those two systems can be read below:
A third scramjet-powered testbed, named the XingKong-2 (Star-2), has been successfully tested. It is supposedly CASC's first Waverider-like scramjet testbed.
Top speed was Mach 5.5-6 and the altitude was 30 km. The rocket released the scramjet vehicle after 10 minutes of flight, after which the vehicle flew for 400 seconds by itself.
Video:
********
Recall that in December 2015, two different Scramjet systems have been tested: the Lingyun-1 and the MF-1
An article detailing those two systems can be read below:
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SinoSoldier
Colonel
Update: it seems that this is merely a rocket-powered Waverider test vehicle, not scramjet-powered. I apologize for any misleading information!
by78
General
Screen captures from a documentary on a female material scientist who performed breakthrough work on a hypersonic vehicle project. I don't have access to the documentary, so I'm not sure if the animation in the first two photos below accurately depicts the real thing. What is more interesting is that – according to those who have watched the documentary – this hypersonic vehicle can fly for hours at speeds between Mach 5 and 20. 
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SinoSoldier
Colonel
Why is that significant? Any human that achieves these sorts of things should be applauded, not just women.