China's First Hypersonic Aircraft Test a Success The China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics (CAAA) conducted the test of "Starry Sky-2" last Friday, marking the country's first successful "Waverider" test. "Waverider" is a type of hypersonic aircraft that uses its own shock waves as a lifting surface. Hypersonic aircraft can travel at five times the speed of sound, or Mach, which is fast enough to travel across the U.S. in 30 minutes. Starry Sky-2 reached
a top speed of Mach 6,
or 4,563 miles per hour. The CAAA has not indicated what the new aircraft would be used for. Hypersonic missiles fly The U.S. Air Force has
committed to creating
a hypersonic weapon by 2023. Boeing has also been working on a hypersonic passenger plane that would fly from New York to London in two hours. The U.S. successfully tested It is thought that China's current hypersonic capabilities renews pressure on the U.S. military to keep up. Former Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work, via CNN