Over 1,000 kilometers in 30 minutes: China prepares to test supersonic aircraft TMS-10
Фото: Illustration/Magnific
China is completing the assembly of a demonstrator of the TMS-10 supersonic passenger aircraft, which is planned to be tested at supersonic speed by the end of 2026. If the technology develops further, the future aircraft will be able to reduce the flight between Beijing and Shanghai to about 30 minutes.
This is reported by Interesting Engineering .
The aircraft is being developed by Tianmushan Laboratory with support from Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics. The developers have already completed aerodynamic tests in a wind tunnel, design of the flight control system and manufacture of the fuselage.
The TMS-10 is designed for 10-15 passengers and is intended for business and leisure travel. The aircraft is designed to operate at speeds up to Mach 2, as well as subsonic speeds of around Mach 0.95.
In June 2025, a large-scale 1:18 scale demonstrator aircraft made its first flight from Dingzhou Airport in Hebei Province. At the time, the speed did not exceed Mach 0.2, and the tests were aimed at verifying takeoff, landing, stability and controllability.
The next stage will be breaking the sound barrier. During the tests, they plan to evaluate supersonic flight, aerodynamics, the control system, the sonic boom level, and the interaction between aerodynamics and the power plant.
The TMS-10 design includes three supporting surfaces, including a forward horizontal tail and a T-shaped tail. According to the developers, this scheme should prevent shock waves from merging near the nose and wings into a more powerful wave.
At the same time, the current TMS-10 remains a technology demonstrator. To create a passenger aircraft, a larger version weighing about 10 tons, additional flight tests and the development of a new power plant with a variable duty cycle are required.
Developers also need to address issues of structural strength, thermal loading, passenger comfort, reliability, and operating costs during long-duration flights at supersonic speeds.
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