China completes1st hypersonic wind tunnel test

China has recently completed its first hypersonic wind tunnel test, China News Service reported.

According to the news agency, the No.1 Institute of the 11th Academy of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) finished the first wind tunnel tests in time for its newly designed hypersonic flutter trials. This is the first hypersonic wind tunnel test and fills n the blank for China's technologies by ending the 60-year-long foreign reign over testing technologies of this kind.

The hypersonic aircrafts will be affected by hypersonic flow, aerodynamic heating and control and therefore their aeroelastic problem is very complicated. Several developed foreign countries have taken on plenty of aeroelastic testing and research since the 1950s - 1960s. Since the trial model will be affected by aerodynamic heating and high dynamic pressured flow under hypersonic conditions, this in turn puts much pressure on experimental equipment design. China has never before undertaken such tests.

Technicians have overcome many technological difficulties after years of research and can now provide relevant solutions. They also applied for a number of technology patents.

These tests are very significant for China’s research on new hypersonic aircraft design, as well as creating the vision for aeroelasticity of hypersonic aircrafts and the development of special experimental technologies.