China joins supersonic race with plans for Concorde-beating jet
China has revealed plans for its own supersonic successor to Concorde, launching an aerospace race with the United States.
Engineers from the country's state-owned aircraft manufacturer, Comac, revealed blueprints for the new plane in an academic paper published earlier this month.
The aircraft will be able to fly 1.6 times faster than the speed of sound and travel distances of up to 11,000km, or 6,800 miles, at a time. The range would allow the plane to fly from Britain to Malaysia non-stop, and is well above Concorde's maximum range of around 4,500 miles.
China's C949 jet is also set to be much quieter than Concorde, with sonic booms of 89.3 decibels compared to the Anglo-French jet's thunderous 105.
The shape of C949's 'reverse-camber' fuselage is set to dampen the shock waves caused by the surrounding air travelling faster than the speed of sound, which creates loud booms that can be heard nearby. Concorde's own sonic booms saw it blocked from taking overland flights following noise complaints.
The Chinese craft is designed to hold 168 passengers, more than the 128 maximum capacity of the Concorde. C949 will be slower than its predecessor, however. Concorde reached top speeds of Mach-2.2, equivalent to 2,154 km per hour or 1,338 miles per hour, meaning it could fly from London to New York in less than three hours. C949's top speed will be Mach 1.6.
The Chinese plans are part of a wave of interest in reviving commercial supersonic air travel, which ended with the retirement of the Concorde in 2003 following a catastrophic crash at Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport three years earlier that killed 113 people.
Several start-ups are vying for the title of 'heir to the Concorde', with most based in the US.
Boom Supersonic, which is based in Denver, Colorado, successfully launched a test flight of its prototype XB-1 supersonic passenger jet in January. The plane successfully broke the sound barrier, reaching speeds of 850 miles per hour during three separate flights over the Mojave Desert.
Spike Aerospace, which is based in Boston, Massachusetts, is separately working on plans for its own 1.6-Mach passenger plane that it also expects will be quieter than Concorde.
Meanwhile, Nasa and Lockheed Martin have joined forces to develop a one-person jet that is capable of travelling 1.4-Mach while making a sonic boom of just 75 decibels.
Blake Scholl, Boom Supersonic's chief executive, said in a tweet over the weekend: 'A'ight folks, it's no surprise, but China has now officially entered the supersonic race. Game on. Let's beat 'em.'
Beijing's pursuit of supersonic jet technology is likely to raise concerns about the potential for dual-use of the technology for military purposes.
Comac was first started by the Chinese government in 2008. It is currently subject to sanctions from the US government over its links to the People's Liberation Army.
In January, Beijing-based Sichuan Lingkong Tianxing Technology outlined plans for a supersonic drone able to travel at Mach-4, equivalent to 4,900km per hour, or 3,045 miles per hour.
The Chinese drone is set to be called Cuantianhou, a name given to the Monkey King in Chinese mythology.
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNN
19 minutes ago
- CNN
See moment Trump criticized Musk in Oval Office
See moment Trump criticized Musk in Oval Office President Trump said he was 'very disappointed' with Elon Musk, as the tech billionaire and former adviser continues to blast Trump's massive tax and spending cuts package. The bill is estimated to add $2.4 trillion to the deficit over the next decade. Musk responded on X in real-time saying that he never saw the bill before it passed and said the elimination of America's electric vehicle tax incentives has nothing to do with his opposition to Trump's bill. 01:15 - Source: CNN Vertical Politics of the Day 16 videos See moment Trump criticized Musk in Oval Office President Trump said he was 'very disappointed' with Elon Musk, as the tech billionaire and former adviser continues to blast Trump's massive tax and spending cuts package. The bill is estimated to add $2.4 trillion to the deficit over the next decade. Musk responded on X in real-time saying that he never saw the bill before it passed and said the elimination of America's electric vehicle tax incentives has nothing to do with his opposition to Trump's bill. 01:15 - Source: CNN Curtis Yarvin is inspiring a new generation of MAGA CNN's Hadas Gold interviews anti-democracy author Curtis Yarvin about his argument for an all-powerful executive in the White House. 02:24 - Source: CNN DNC Trolls Trump with Taco Truck The Democratic National Committee parked a taco truck outside the RNC headquarters in Washington DC Tuesday, as a way to troll the president over an acronym created by a Financial Times commentator about the president's frequent walk backs and pauses to his tariff's. 00:52 - Source: CNN Musk calls Trump's bill 'disgusting abomination' Elon Musk lashed out at President Donald Trump's agenda bill — which the president is pressuring GOP senators to support — calling it a 'disgusting abomination.' CNN's Kaitlan Collins reports. 00:59 - Source: CNN ICE chief defends agents wearing masks during immigration raids Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons is defending federal immigration agents for wearing masks during raids across the US, citing safety concerns. The tactic has sparked backlash and raised questions about transparency and accountability. 00:58 - Source: CNN Dana Bash presses Trump's budget chief about cancer cuts CNN's Dana Bash presses Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought on the Trump administration's proposal to cut non-defense spending by more than 22% — including deep reductions to education, food assistance, and billions in cancer research funding. As Vought defends the cuts and criticizes the NIH, Bash challenges him on the real-world impact to life-saving medical research. 01:35 - Source: CNN Trump reacts to video of Macron's apparent shove from wife President Trump was asked by reporters about the viral video appearing to show French President Emmanuel Macron being pushed by his wife Brigitte as they disembarked from a plane in Vietnam. Macron, at the time, quickly dismissed the video. 00:34 - Source: CNN Trans high school athlete wins events amid controversy A transgender athlete, whose participation sparked a national controversy and a temporary rule change, took first place in two of her three events in the California High School Track and Field Championship. 01:09 - Source: CNN South Carolina voter says 'no' to moving center South Carolina has often bucked the electoral trend – voting for candidates who lost in Iowa or New Hampshire and thus helping pick which candidate will move on to the general election. CNN's Jeff Simon spoke to multiple voters at a Democrat dinner in Columbia, South Carolina about the party's leadership and future. 01:25 - Source: CNN Hegseth warns 'threat China poses is real' US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, speaking to Asia's premier defense forum in Singapore, delivered a dire warning to the world: China's designs on Taiwan pose a threat to global peace and stability that requires 'our allies and partners do their part on defense.' While Hegseth made clear that Washington does not seek conflict with China, he stressed the Trump administration would not let aggression from Beijing stand. 00:50 - Source: CNN GOP senator pressed on Medicaid in heated town hall GOP Sen. Joni Ernst faced concerns from town hall attendees over potential cuts to Medicaid and SNAP programs as a result of President Donald Trump's sweeping domestic policy bill, saying at one point, 'Well, we all are going to die,' and insisting that those who are eligible for Medicaid will continue to receive payments. 01:12 - Source: CNN Fareed Zakaria breaks down Trump's tariff battle CNN's Fareed Zakaria breaks down what's going on with President Donald Trump's battle with the Supreme Court over tariffs. 00:58 - Source: CNN President Trump's timeline for things seems to almost always be 'in two weeks' President Donald Trump told reporters it will take about 'two weeks' to determine whether Russian President Vladimir Putin is serious about ending the war in Ukraine. That two week timeline, CNN's Abby Phillip says, is a familiar one. 01:48 - Source: CNN President Trump is on a pardoning spree President Donald Trump used his pardon power to grant clemency to a wave of individuals who had been convicted of crimes that range from public corruption, guns and even maritime-related offenses, according to multiple officials. CNN's Kaitlan Collins reports. 00:53 - Source: CNN Trump responds to Wall Street term 'TACO': Trump Always Chickens Out President Donald Trump was asked about "TACO," an acronym that means "Trump Always Chickens Out," which is used by Wall Street workers for his on-and-off approach to tariffs. Calling it "the nastiest question," Trump defended his tariff policy by calling it "negotiation." 01:13 - Source: CNN Harvard students and faculty speak out against Trump Harvard students and faculty spoke to CNN ahead of commencement as Donald Trump said the university should cap foreign enrollment. The Trump administration has recently sought to cancel $100 million in contracts with the school. 02:03 - Source: CNN
New York Post
24 minutes ago
- New York Post
OpenAI finds more Chinese bad actors using ChatGPT for malicious purposes
Chinese bad actors are using ChatGPT for malicious purposes – generating social media posts to sow political division across the US and seeking information on military technology, OpenAI said. An organized China-linked operation, in one such incident dubbed 'Uncle Spam,' used ChatGPT to generate social media posts that were supportive and critical of contentious topics related to US politics – and then posted both versions of the comments from separate accounts, the company said in a report released Thursday. 'This appears likely designed to exploit existing political divisions rather than to promote a specific ideological stance,' OpenAI wrote in the report, describing what is known as an influence operation. Advertisement 3 A growing number of Chinese bad actors are using ChatGPT for malicious purposes, OpenAI said. REUTERS OpenAI said it followed Meta's lead to disrupt this operation, after the social media conglomerate discovered the actors were posting at hours through the day consistent with a work day in China. The actors also used ChatGPT to make logos for their social media accounts that supported fake organizations – mainly creating personas of US veterans critical of President Trump, like a so-called 'Veterans For Justice' group. These users also tried to request code from ChatGPT that they could use to extract personal data from social media platforms like X and Bluesky, OpenAI said. Advertisement While the number of these operations has jumped, they had relatively little impact as these social media accounts typically had small followings, OpenAI said. Another group of likely Chinese actors used ChatGPT to create polarizing comments on topics like USAID funding cuts and tariffs, which were then posted across social media sites. In the comments of a TikTok video about USAID funding cuts, one of these accounts wrote: 'Our goodwill was exploited. So disappointing.' Advertisement 3 Another group of likely Chinese actors used ChatGPT to create polarizing comments on topics like USAID funding cuts and tariffs. REUTERS Another post on X took the opposite stance: '$7.9M allocated to teach Sri Lankan journalists to avoid binary-gender language. Is this the best use of development funds?' These actors made posts on X appearing to justify USAID cuts as a means of offsetting the tariffs. 'Tariffs make imported goods outrageously expensive, yet the government splurges on overseas aid. Who's supposed to keep eating?' one post said. Advertisement Another read: 'Tariffs are choking us, yet the government is spending money to 'fund' foreign politics.' 3 The operations used ChatGPT to write divisive comments on some of the Trump administration's policies, including USAID funding cuts and tariffs. AFP via Getty Images In another China-linked operation, users posed as professionals based in Europe or Turkey working for nonexistent European news outlets. They engaged with journalists and analysts on social media platforms like X, and offered money in exchange for information on the US economy and classified documents, all while using ChatGPT to translate their requests. OpenAI said it also banned ChatGPT accounts associated with several bad actors who have been publicly linked to the People's Republic of China. These accounts asked ChatGPT for help with software development and for research into US military networks and government technology. OpenAI regularly releases reports on malicious activity across its platform, including reports on fake content for websites and social media platforms and attempts to create damaging malware.
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping discuss trade deal in 'very good' phone call
June 5 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump said Thursday that he and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke on the phone that morning about the trade deal currently in place between the United States and China. Trump described the call as "very good" in a post on Truth Social, adding he and Xi discussed the "intricacies" of the trade deal between the two nations. "The call lasted approximately one and a half hours, and resulted in a very positive conclusion for both countries." Trump posted to Truth Social Thursday. Trump said the two hashed out a future meeting in regard to rare earth minerals. "There should no longer be any questions respecting the complexity of rare earth products. Our respective teams will be meeting shortly at a location to be determined," Trump said. The Trump administration had expected China to ease export restrictions on rare earth minerals after talks held last month. China had imposed those restrictions in April in response to tariffs levied by Trump on Chinese goods. Trump also noted that Xi invited him to visit China, which was also confirmed by Chinese state media. "I reciprocated. As presidents of two great nations, this is something that we both look forward to doing," he said. Neither spoke of Ukraine's war on Russia or any issues that involved Iran, according to Trump, who added that the media will be informed when the meeting between the two countries will take place. However, as per the account posted to Chinese state media Thursday, Xi also allegedly said the United States should "handle Taiwan question with caution" in order to avoid "danger of conflict, confrontation," and that Trump told him "Chinese students are welcome to study" in the United States. There has been no confirmation from the Trump administration in regard to either of these claims. The U.S. State Department announced last month it would "aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields. We will also revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from the People's Republic of China and Hong Kong." Trump made no mention of either of those points of conversation purported by Chinese state media. The two leaders are believed to have last spoken in January before Trump's inauguration.
