According to revelations from personnel involved in the project, the Chinese Armed Forces have tested a hypersonic air-to-air missile to evaluate its performance based on the requirements of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) for future deployment of this new weaponry. This marks the first official confirmation of the existence of this weapon system, developed by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).

In what has been highlighted as a major milestone for China’s military forces, a scaled prototype of the hypersonic missile underwent final extreme heat resistance tests in a “heated wind tunnel,” designed to replicate extreme environments. Details of these evaluations were published last month in the journal Equipment Environmental Engineering.
The publication describes how “by heating the gas with an electric arc, [this type of tunnel] can generate hot air flows reaching between thousands and tens of thousands of degrees Celsius,” wrote the project team led by Cheng Gong and Huang Yimin from the Chinese Academy of Airborne Missiles. The article also notes that the arc-heated wind tunnel can operate continuously for over an hour, though its enormous energy consumption makes it costly to run.
In December 2023, China announced the development of a hypersonic missile, augmented with artificial intelligence, capable of incapacitating the U.S. Air Force’s new B-21 Raider bombers. The recent publication reaffirmed this, stating, “This marks the first official confirmation of the existence of this mysterious weapon, which could pose an unprecedented threat to U.S. military aircraft, including the stealth bomber B-21, currently in flight testing.” Experts note that achieving such capabilities would represent a significant technical breakthrough for China, paving the way for initial production and deployment.

Finally, this development reflects the Asian Giant’s continued efforts in aerospace and defense, aiming to surpass the technological capabilities of potential adversaries. China is heavily investing in artificial intelligence, hypersonic weapons, and quantum computing as part of its strategy to maintain and expand its global military influence.
Images used for illustrative purposes only.
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