China’s hypersonic cooling innovation puts heat on US

China’s latest hypersonic cooling technology breakthrough marks a significant leap forward in the race to dominate global high-speed flight and missile systems.

This month, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that a Chinese military research team, led by assistant researcher Li Shibin from the National University of Defence Technology, has developed an innovative cooling device capable of managing the intense heat generated during hypersonic flight.

The SCMP report says that the device operates for up to 2.5 hours and is a crucial advancement for long-duration, high-speed missions, allowing for journeys from one side of the Earth to the other. The team’s invention is detailed in the Journal of National University of Defence Technology.

SCMP says that the cylindrical cooling system utilizes the thermal energy from aerodynamic heating to drive an active cooling cycle, ensuring the proper functioning of critical components under strenuous flight conditions.

It mentions that China’s race to develop hypersonic capabilities, alongside the US and Russia, has led to test flights of long-range hypersonic unmanned aircraft, with plans for crewed global flights by 2035.

In addition, the report points out that China unveiled the DF-17, the world’s first hypersonic glide missile, in 2019. Recent US Army tests of a similar weapon highlight the rapid progress in this field.

However, as a US congressional investigation noted last year and the SCMP points out in its report, managing the extreme heat generated in hypersonic flight remains a fundamental challenge.

SCMP reported that Chinese scientists are advancing hypersonic weapon technology with a new HGV capable of exceeding Mach 15 speeds. This vehicle utilizes a “skipping