China is accelerating the development of supersonic passenger flight technologies through the TMS-10 experimental aircraft project. Developed by the Tianmushan Laboratory and Beihang University, the prototype is currently undergoing final assembly and system integration. Engineers have already completed wind tunnel testing and finalized the flight control algorithms.
The aircraft features a unique aerodynamic design with forward horizontal stabilizers and a T-tail to mitigate sonic booms. A 1:18 scale model successfully completed low-speed flight tests on June 30, 2025, reaching 0.2 Mach. The team now aims to break the sound barrier with the full-scale demonstrator before the end of 2026.
Future applications include a proposed business jet capable of carrying 10–15 passengers at speeds up to 2 Mach, or 2450 km/h. This technology could potentially reduce travel time between Beijing and Shanghai to approximately 30 minutes. The project aligns with global efforts, such as the NASA X-59 program, to enable quiet supersonic civil aviation.
