China tests Feitian 2 hypersonic missile powered by kerosene and air-breathing tech that could reshape the future of missiles
hypersonic technology
, China has completed a successful test flight of its Feitian 2 hypersonic vehicle in northwestern China. The test demonstrated the vehicle's ability to switch between different propulsion modes during flight, a major challenge in the development of hypersonic systems.
Developed by
Northwestern Polytechnical University
(
NPU
) with support from the Shaanxi Province Aerospace and Astronautics Propulsion Research Institute, Feitian 2 builds on the earlier Feitian 1, which flew in July 2022. The latest flight marks progress in rocket-based combined cycle (RBCC) engine technology and offers valuable data for further research in
high-speed propulsion
and aerodynamics.
Feitian 2's multi-mode propulsion capability
The key feature of Feitian 2 is its RBCC engine, powered by a mix of kerosene and hydrogen peroxide. Unlike conventional hypersonic vehicles that use cryogenic fuels like liquid oxygen, Feitian 2 uses atmospheric oxygen for part of its flight, reducing the need for onboard oxidizers and improving fuel efficiency.
The flight successfully showed a smooth switch from ejector mode, where rockets provide thrust at take-off, to ramjet mode, where the engine uses air-breathing propulsion. This transition is considered critical for sustained hypersonic flight. The engine also demonstrated variable-geometry intake capability, allowing it to control airflow in real time for improved performance at different speeds and altitudes.
Design improvements and flight autonomy
Feitian 2 includes several upgrades over its earlier version. It has larger tail fins and new wings near the rocket head. These additions help improve stability and control at high speeds and altitudes.
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The test also confirmed that Feitian 2 can fly autonomously. It adjusted its angle of attack during flight based on the mission's needs and the surrounding conditions. This ability is expected to be important for future unmanned hypersonic systems used in both military and scientific missions.
Alternative propellants and engine design
Feitian 2's use of a kerosene–hydrogen peroxide mix is a shift away from traditional cryogenic fuels. While kerosene has less energy than liquid hydrogen, it is easier to store and handle. This makes the vehicle design simpler and reduces the need for heavy cooling systems.
Feitian 1 had already shown that kerosene could work in hypersonic engines. Feitian 2 adds hydrogen peroxide as an oxidizer, cutting weight and keeping thrust stable. This fuel approach could influence how future hypersonic vehicles are built and operated.
Strategic and global implications
The Feitian 2 test flight puts China in a strong position in the international race for hypersonic technology. The vehicle's ability to change propulsion modes mid-flight, along with its autonomous systems and airflow control, is a major technical achievement.
These developments could support both defence and civilian uses, including fast transport and rapid-response platforms.
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India.com
03-07-2025
- India.com
Meet Feitian 2 – China's Hypersonic Leap That Stuns The West, Triggers Alarms In India And U.S.
New Delhi: The skies over northwest China just witnessed something the world's top military minds were not ready for. A sharp boom, a fiery trail and a breakthrough – Beijing has test-flown the 'Feitian 2', a next-generation hypersonic craft capable of reaching speeds that challenge the very limits of modern air defense. This is not a missile that burns out and falls. This machine comes back. It is reusable. It is fast – Mach 12 fast that is nearly 14,800 kilometers per hour. For comparison, most commercial jets cruise at about 900 kmph. What is Feitian 2? Built by China's Northwestern Polytechnical University – an institution blacklisted by the United States for its links to military tech – the Feitian 2 is no ordinary piece of metal. It uses an RBCC engine, short for rocket-based combined cycle propulsion. This system blends the power of a rocket with the efficiency of an air-breathing engine. In simple terms, it allows the craft to take off like a rocket, shift mid-air into a faster engine mode and return like a glider – all without needing liquid oxygen. Instead, it runs on a mix of kerosene and hydrogen peroxide. No cryogenic systems. No need to carry massive oxygen tanks. Just raw speed and clever engineering. Chinese state media and the scientists behind the project say the test flight achieved everything they hoped. It switched propulsion modes mid-air. It handled sharp angle shifts. It kept its balance even at extreme speeds. It adjusted thrust and reshaped itself as it flew. Data from the flight was collected in real-world conditions – something that very few countries have ever managed with this kind of engine. Why are India and the West watching nervously? Hypersonic technology is nothing new on the global stage. The United States, Russia, China and India have all been racing to develop fast maneuverable weapons that can slip past enemy radar and interceptors. But Feitian 2 is different. Most hypersonic platforms are one-shot weapons. Fire and forget. Feitian 2, if developed into a combat vehicle, could come back after delivering a strike. It can carry heavier payloads. It burns less fuel. And it can fly further than most existing systems. For the military, this opens up possibilities – from rapid-response drones and glide bombs to crewed aircraft that could enter and exit contested zones before enemies even blink. If this tech matures, no missile defense shield will be fast enough. No radar system will predict its course accurately. It turns the very idea of deterrence upside down. India's defence planners have watched closely, especially after the BrahMos missile partnership with Russia and its own hypersonic trials. But China's advantage lies not in partnerships but in its speed. It builds faster, tests quicker and deploys sooner. The United States has invested heavily in hypersonics, but American analysts now worry China is pulling ahead. Its universities, labs and military-industrial complexes are working with fewer rules and even fewer restrictions. Feitian 2 proves that. There's another twist Northwestern Polytechnical University, the creator of Feitian 2, is under US sanctions. Its students often cannot get visas. Its research is supposedly cut off from American collaboration. But here it is pulling off one of the most advanced hypersonic flights in recent history. This raises questions in Washington and other capitals – are sanctions working? If a blacklisted institution can pull off a breakthrough like this, how many more advances are being quietly made behind the Great Firewall? And where is China getting the components, data and blueprints to build such complex systems? Are some of these technologies dual-use imports? Are parts and designs being diverted from civilian programmes? More importantly – what comes next? Feitian 2 may still be experimental. But its flight was not just a test. It was a signal. A new kind of arms race is already underway, and the finish line is moving faster than ever before.
India.com
03-07-2025
- India.com
Big tension for Trump, Putin as China successfully tests hypersonic missile Feitian-2,' it uses atmospheric oxygen for..., is developed by...
As conflicts continue to erupt around the world, every country boosts its defense readiness for the greater threats that are imminent. Every country is arming itself with modern warfare capabilities and advanced weapons to maintain a military advantage in a world where national security is getting increasingly volatile. In what may be a significant breakthrough for hypersonic technology, China has successfully demonstrated a test flight of its Feitian-2 hypersonic vehicle in northwestern China, where it was able to switch between different propulsion modalities in flight — a significant hurdle in the future development of hypersonic vehicles. Who developed the Feitian-2 hypersonic vehicle? The Feitian-2 hypersonic vehicle was developed as a part of the cooperation between Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU) and the Shaanxi Province Aerospace and Astronautics Propulsion Research Institute, as reported by the Economic Times. The flight is consistent with the advancements made by Feitian-1 when it successfully flew in July 2022 and demonstrates useful data for many physical understandings rich in applications regarding Rocket-Based Combined Cycle (RBCC) engine technology. The flight offers performance parameters that form a useful physical basis for future engineering research on aerodynamics and high-speed propulsion. Top features of Feitian-2 that make it stand out! How atmospheric oxygen helps Feitian-2 The standout feature of Feitian-2 is its Rocket-Based Combined Cycle (RBCC) engine operating on a kerosene and hydrogen peroxide combination. In contrast to traditional hypersonic vehicles, which are fueled by cryogenic fuels such as liquid oxygen, the Feitian-2 craft incorporates atmospheric oxygen for portions of the flight. The use of atmospheric oxygen reduces onboard oxidizers, enhancing fuel efficiency. Feitian-2 different modes The flight experiment with Feitian-2 successfully showed a seamless switch from the first ejector mode, where rockets provide thrust for take-off, to ramjet mode (air-breathing propulsion). This smooth mode switch will be a significant benchmark for sustained hypersonic flight. The engine also showed its variable-geometry intake capability, demonstrating the ability for flow to be controlled automatically in real time. The control of airflow in real-time means that performance can be improved with speed and altitude. This central dynamic feature makes the engine more reliable and the system more efficient with complex flight profiles. How are Feitian-1 and Feitian-2 different? Feitian-2 has several additions as compared to its predecessor, Feitian-1. It features larger tail fins, and new wings just in front of the rocket's nose, improving the stability and maneuverability during high-speed high-altitude flight. Overall, the upgrades will allow for greater aerodynamic control and flight accuracy in more extreme conditions. This test also verified that Feitian-2 can fly autonomously. It was able to alter its angle of attack during flight based on the needs of the mission and the conditions around it. This ability is going to be very important for future unmanned hypersonic systems for both military and scientific missions. Feitian-2 is powered by a kerosene-hydrogen peroxide mixture instead of the traditional cryogenic fuels. While kerosene has less energy even than liquid hydrogen, it is much simpler to store and handle, which leads to a simpler vehicle layout and overcomes the need for heavy cooling systems. Meanwhile, Feitian-1 had previously demonstrated the use of kerosene in hypersonic engines. Moreover, Feitian-2 uses hydrogen peroxide, which is a liquid oxidizer, improving the overall weight of the vehicle while providing stable thrust. This fuel combination may be a factor in the design and operation of hypersonic vehicles in the future. China's recent advances in hypersonic technology are likely causing the US some concern. Although both America and Russia have been trying to develop combined-cycle engines for years, they have had little success. The Feitian-2 testing shows that China is making significant gains in gathering real, valuable data for hypersonic engine design, and they are showing progress in a difficult area that can bring real challenges. The Feitian-2 test flight has elevated China to a competitive status in the world hypersonic technology race by demonstrating its ability to switch between propulsion modes in flight and with an autonomous control structure while actively managing airflow. These advances may have potential uses besides defense, including fast transportation uses and civilian rapid-response systems.
Economic Times
02-07-2025
- Economic Times
China tests Feitian 2 hypersonic missile powered by kerosene and air-breathing tech that could reshape the future of missiles
In a key advancement for hypersonic technology, China has completed a successful test flight of its Feitian 2 hypersonic vehicle in northwestern China. The test demonstrated the vehicle's ability to switch between different propulsion modes during flight, a major challenge in the development of hypersonic systems. Developed by Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU) with support from the Shaanxi Province Aerospace and Astronautics Propulsion Research Institute, Feitian 2 builds on the earlier Feitian 1, which flew in July 2022. The latest flight marks progress in rocket-based combined cycle (RBCC) engine technology and offers valuable data for further research in high-speed propulsion and aerodynamics. The key feature of Feitian 2 is its RBCC engine, powered by a mix of kerosene and hydrogen peroxide. Unlike conventional hypersonic vehicles that use cryogenic fuels like liquid oxygen, Feitian 2 uses atmospheric oxygen for part of its flight, reducing the need for onboard oxidizers and improving fuel flight successfully showed a smooth switch from ejector mode, where rockets provide thrust at take-off, to ramjet mode, where the engine uses air-breathing propulsion. This transition is considered critical for sustained hypersonic flight. The engine also demonstrated variable-geometry intake capability, allowing it to control airflow in real time for improved performance at different speeds and 2 includes several upgrades over its earlier version. It has larger tail fins and new wings near the rocket head. These additions help improve stability and control at high speeds and altitudes. The test also confirmed that Feitian 2 can fly autonomously. It adjusted its angle of attack during flight based on the mission's needs and the surrounding conditions. This ability is expected to be important for future unmanned hypersonic systems used in both military and scientific 2's use of a kerosene–hydrogen peroxide mix is a shift away from traditional cryogenic fuels. While kerosene has less energy than liquid hydrogen, it is easier to store and handle. This makes the vehicle design simpler and reduces the need for heavy cooling 1 had already shown that kerosene could work in hypersonic engines. Feitian 2 adds hydrogen peroxide as an oxidizer, cutting weight and keeping thrust stable. This fuel approach could influence how future hypersonic vehicles are built and Feitian 2 test flight puts China in a strong position in the international race for hypersonic technology. The vehicle's ability to change propulsion modes mid-flight, along with its autonomous systems and airflow control, is a major technical achievement. These developments could support both defence and civilian uses, including fast transport and rapid-response platforms.
