Hypersonic Generator

• Turning gas into plasma creates an intense electrical current for powering potent hypersonic weapons.
• Chinese researchers built a hypersonic generator that could power military lasers, rail guns, and microwave weapons.
• The relative compact nature of the hypersonic generator opens the scope of potential uses.

Chinese scientists say one formidable explosion inside a shock tunnel can turn hot gas into the most powerful hypersonic generator a military has ever seen—strong enough to charge military lasers, rails guns, microwave weapons, and more.

As reported by the South China Morning Post, a new peer-reviewed paper in the Chinese Journal of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics explains how the hypersonic generator turns one detonation inside a shock tunnel into enough electrical current to power hypersonic weapons of the future.

The Chinese scientists were able to use a controlled detonation to turn hot gas into a plasma filled with racing ions, which converted to current. With shock waves accelerating the compressed argon gas to 14 times the speed of sound, the charged ion-filled plasma then passed through magnetohydrodynamics generators to produce electric current up to 212 kilowatts while using.26 gallons of gas. That’s enough power for a burst of energy unlike anything available now in a compact system.

“It has a large capacity and high efficiency," the scientists write, via the SCMP. “There is no need for intermediate energy storage components. The energy can be directly transferred to the load without a high-power switch. And the device can start up quickly.” The generator also has no rotating parts, increasing efficiency and ease of use.

With some of the largest weapons in development requiring a gigawatt of input power, the researchers say they can produce that with 177 cubic feet of hypersonic plasma (that’s smaller than most vans).   READ MORE...

Hypersonic Drone Landing

Chinese military researchers note that they might have cracked the possibility of landing a hypersonic drone. Landing an unmanned aircraft that is flying over five times the speed of sound on a general standard air strip is not easy at all.

Chinese Military Researchers on Hypersonic Flight
According to the story by SCMP, Chinese military researchers note that they have reportedly found a way to make the process safer and is potentially bringing applications for hypersonic flight a full step closer. The technology has reportedly progressed quite considerably.

China and Russia have been deploying various types of different hypersonic missiles in the recent year as well as the growing interest in applying the advances of these drones. Bringing such aircrafts back to the ground safely has reportedly proven to be problematic especially with the added complexity and urgency of military settings.

Modern Planes of Today
A modern plane reportedly relies on software in order to look for an optimal path of descent and humans can now intervene if anything would go wrong. At hypervelocity, however, even the fastest type of flight control computer still struggles to be able to calculate it in time.

In a particular paper that was published in a peer-reviewed domestic journal known as Tactical Missile Technology, Dai Fei as well as colleagues that come from the People's Liberation Army Air Force notes that they have made improvements that are based on a certain classified model of hypersonic drone. The rocket-propelled surveillance drone known as the Wuzhen 8 appeared in Beijing's military parade two years ago.  READ MIRE