China has created a hypersonic wind tunnel that can accelerate the air flow up to 41,000 km/h

Chinese scientists, together with Australian specialists, have created a wind tunnel that will allow tests of supersonic aircraft.

Here's What We Know

Aerodynamic tubes come to the rescue in aircraft testing when computer simulations are unable to reproduce the flow in detail under all conditions. The new tube was built in Sichuan province with the help of the China Aerodynamics Development and Research Center.

It allows tests of aircraft, accelerating the airflow up to 41,000 km/h (more than 33 Mach). The diameter of the tube is 80 cm, which means it is suitable for testing small devices. For example, a capsule of a lunar spacecraft.

Chinese experts claim it is the world's largest free-piston wind tunnel. But the cost of development and construction is not specified. In addition, there is no information on whether the pipe was affected by the 6.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Sichuan province earlier this week.

Source: scmp