China丨Company developing supersonic aircraft

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Private enterprises in China have shown their strong technological and engineering capability by manufacturing big rockets, advanced satellites and powerful drones. Now, one of them is determined to go further: making a superfast suborbital airliner that can tremendously shorten intercontinental travel time. Lingkong Tianxing Technology, a Beijing-headquartered aerospace company, announced on Monday at a news conference in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, that its next-generation supersonic technology demonstrator is under research and development, and is scheduled to make its first test flight in 2026. ▲ Cuantianhou will be nearly five times faster than a conventional jet. Photo provided to China Daily Deng Fan, the company's chief engineer, said at the conference that the prototype of the aircraft — called Cuantianhou, or Soaring Monkey — will be 7 meters long and weigh 1.5 metric tons. It will use a streamlined aerodynamic design that can effectively reduce air drag and ………………………………