Can this new tech help China’s stealth bomber break the sound barrier?

The old rules said you had to choose: stealth or speed. The US picked stealth. Russia went fast. China is trying to throw away the rule book.

Chinese researchers unveiled a development in aircraft design last month that could propel the nation’s next-generation stealth bombers into supersonic flight, ending the trade-off between speed and stealth that has troubled the American and Russian air forces for decades.

Since the 1930s, scientists have been studying a type of aircraft called the flying wing. Unlike conventional aircraft, this configuration integrates the fuselage and wings into a single large side wing, which reduces air resistance, improves aerodynamic efficiency and range, and enhances stealth capabilities. The most iconic example of this design is the US B-2 Spirit bomber.

However, this design comes with a trade-off. By eliminating the traditional tail, the plane responds quickly when pitching, but its long, thin wings can bend and shake in high-speed airflow, sometimes causing severe vibration across the entire aircraft.

This vibration is known as “rigid-elastic coupled flutter”. Once it occurs, it can lead to flight instability in mild cases, or even cause instant mid-air disintegration in severe scenarios.

To avoid flutter risks, earlier flying-wing aircraft, including the B-2, have been limited to subsonic speeds. This inevitably compromises a bomber’s rapid response and penetration capability, making it difficult to evade modern air defence systems once detected.

South China Morning Post