A fast drone is great to look at, but if it’s up to China, we’ll be taking vacations with it, too. This invention is proof of that.
China has pulled something spectacular out of the top hat again. Meet the “Monkey King,” a supersonic drone that can reach speeds as high as Mach 4 (or four times the speed of sound).
By comparison, that’s twice as fast as the iconic Concorde. And as if that’s not impressive enough, China dreams of one day using this technology for commercial passenger flights. We give you a first glimpse.
This fast drone will take us on vacation in the future
The “Monkey King” was designed by Chinese startup Lingkong Tianxing Technology. The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) weighs about 1.5 tons and is seven meters long. It is powered by two explosive engines, a special type of engine that burns fuel at lightning speed by means of a self-sustaining blast wave.
With a maximum flying altitude of about 20 kilometers above the ground, the drone ensures that the sonic boom it creates has less impact on people on Earth. So no more of those deafening pops when a supersonic aircraft flies over.
The fast drone (Image: Lingkong Tianxing Technology)
According to China’s South China Morning Post (SCMP) newspaper, the first test flight is scheduled for next year. And if all goes well, a larger passenger plane could take to the skies by 2030.
Chief engineer Deng Fan confirmed that work is underway on a version capable of carrying hundreds of passengers. So who knows, maybe in a few decades we’ll be flying around the world at record speed.
Which country will be first?
The idea of supersonic passenger flights is not new. Concorde did it back in the last century, but was eventually decommissioned due to high costs, noise pollution and the tragic accident in 2000. Now several companies and countries are trying to develop a modern, more efficient and, above all, feasible version. And China seems well on its way to becoming a pioneer in this with this drone.
American companies such as Boom Supersonic and NASA are also working on projects to develop the next generation of lightning-fast aircraft. And don’t forget Russia, which has been working on military hypersonic aircraft for years. The question is: Who will be the first to come up with a commercial supersonic aircraft that is both affordable and practical?
Although the ‘Monkey King’ is currently still a drone, the technology behind it is promising. Perhaps in ten or twenty years we will be sitting in a supersonic plane that will take you from Amsterdam to Sydney in a few hours. No jet lag, no long flights, just board and bang.
