China's Supersonic Revival: Inside the Planned C949 Jet Set to Reignite Air Travel
China is entering the competition to initiate a new era of supersonic air travel by planning to develop an aircraft that could compete with the Concorde, as reported by local media outlets.
According to reports from the South China Morning Post, COMAC (Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China) recently disclosed plans for the C949 – a supersonic aircraft capable of reaching speeds up to Mach 1.6, which would make it faster and have longer range compared to the Concorde – as mentioned in an academic publication.
The document stated that the initiative aimed for a 50 percent increase in range compared to the Concorde and was engineered to ensure the aircraft operates as silently as the sound produced by a hair dryer.
The system will utilize a curved planar structure designed to reduce shockwaves, thereby mitigating intense sonic booms that might otherwise be generated by the aircraft, as per the SCMP report.
Lowering the noise levels is an approach for the aircraft to attempt overcoming regulatory hurdles that prohibit supersonic travel, as reported by the South China Morning Post.
Euronews Next is attempting to independently confirm these assertions by contacting the academic journal that released the study along with COMAC; however, they have yet to receive any responses by the time this was published.
Other supersonic aircraft currently under development
The Concorde, a supersonic passenger plane developed jointly by France and the United Kingdom, conducted its initial test flight in 1969. Over its 26-year operational period, this aircraft completed nearly 50,000 trips with British Airways as its operator.
The aircraft, capable of reaching a top cruise speed of Mach 2.04 (approximately 2,180 km/h), offered a journey time between London and New York under 3.5 hours, significantly shorter than the typical 8-hour trip for a standard subsonic flight.
Since the retirement of Concorde in 2003, there has not been an active civilian supersonic airplane. However, several new supersonic ventures are currently underway, such as the X-59 project, which is a collaboration between NASA and Lockheed Martin, based in the United States.
Disclosed last year, the airplane cruises at an altitude of 55,000 feet (more than 16,700 meters) and generates noise comparable to that of a car door shutting, as stated by its creators.
The X-59 is engineered to fly at velocities up to Mach 1.4 (approximately 1,730 km/h), which makes it slower compared to both the Concorde and the anticipated Chinese C949.
In March, NASA reported that the X-59 successfully completed an engine speed hold, also known as a cruise control test, which marks the final phase before its inaugural flight scheduled for later this year.
Paul Dees, NASA’s deputy propulsion lead for the X-59 at the agency’s Armstrong Flight Research Center, stated, "We had to confirm that the speed control function was effective both inside the engine and as an integral part of the whole aircraft system."
The testing verified that all elements—including the software, mechanical connections, and control laws—function together as planned.
A private firm called Boom Supersonic aims to introduce its supersonic aircraft, known as the Overture, prior to the conclusion of this decade.
During the initial test flight of the XB-1 in January, the aircraft reached speeds of up to 1,207 kilometers per hour and climbed to an altitude exceeding 35,000 feet (10,600 meters). The company reported that it successfully landed without producing a sonic boom.
Commercial interest in the Overture has already emerged, withBoom securing deals beforehand. United Airlines , American Airlines and Japan Airlines will hand over the aircraft once it satisfies the necessary safety requirements.
The European Commission supported various initiatives focused on examining noise reduction techniques as well as the ecological effects of supersonic travel, including the 2022 RUMBLE initiative, the 2020 SENECA initiative, and the continuing MORE AND LESS endeavor.
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