A Chinese research paper on an ejectable cockpit for high-supersonic flight has drawn attention after a mysterious blended-wing test object appeared at the Gaobeidian radar range.
Experts have linked a Chinese scientific academic paper about a crew escape module for a “high supersonic aircraft” to an unidentified flying dart-type aircraft that appeared at China’s RCS (Radar Cross Section) test site at Gaobeidan in the Hebei province back in October 2023. We had reported about another cranked-kite wing type aircraft at the same test site back in August 2024.
Chinese military aviation researcher Andreas Rupprecht had originally shared an excerpt of a 2020 research paper about an “ejectable escape crew module for a high-supersonic aircraft.” It showed models, graphs, speeds and angles of a complete module, holding an entire crew, ejecting from the top of the aircraft, supported by complex physics equations and identifying parameters like the trajectory and center of gravity.
Rupprecht then reshared and quoted an observation he received from one ‘Tomboy/SDF’ noting how the aircraft in the paper appeared to be “the same aircraft/model, allegedly taken at an RCS testing facility a few months ago.” Additionally, the post stated “it seems to be again the well-known RCS-test facility at Gaobeidian, where this ‘strange’ thing was first seen in October 2023.”
Via Tomboy/SDF replying to my previous post:
“Seems to be the same aircraft/model, allegedly taken at an RCS testing facility a few months ago”. It’s seems to be again the well-known RCS-test facility at Gaobeidian, where this “strange” thing was first seen in October 2023. https://t.co/WZmvcXcqDB pic.twitter.com/fkkwc0KnWo
— @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) October 27, 2025
Important to analyze Chinese aerospace research
While the two aircraft do appear to share some similarities, it would be premature to definitively draw a connection between the two. The focus of this article, however, is the scientific paper, rather than the aircraft itself.
Dozens of such papers in Chinese publications, both in the general STEM and dual-use technologies, have been reported in the mainstream east Asian press for years. Many of them, reporting groundbreaking discoveries, might remain academic/theoretical achievements in peer-reviewed journals, with no practical future.
However, it should be noted the ‘on-paper’ research is also parallel to vast advances in the full range of civilian and defense technologies. As for the aircraft, it just adds to the repertoire that appeared so far – either in flight, satellite images and official displays in exhibitions and parades.
The last known one was the flying wing aircraft of the Chinese Academy displayed at the Changchun Air Show. The J-36, J-XDS/J-50 the new next generation aircraft, the GJ-11 Sharp Sword and the CH-7 are some of the flying examples.
Three more images showing the J-36 during its second flight. pic.twitter.com/B5nAmiyPlg
— @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) March 17, 2025
Even with some of those flying examples, we are far from knowing if they even have a military utility, or are just experimental pursuits. China’s large and growing Gen. 5 and 4.5 fleet, an increasingly capable navy and the huge PLA Rocket Force can still fight a conventional war with their current inventory, even if these newer aircraft are not fielded.
The aircraft in the paper and the satellite image
The aircraft in the satellite image has a compound delta-wing, like the Saab J35 Draken. The trailing edges, that extend beyond the two exhaust nozzles, give it an overall ‘flying-dart’-like shape, similar to an early rendition of the NGAD.
A cursory look does show the presence of two serrated flat exhausts, but this cannot be said for certain. It also cannot be determined if the aircraft has a cockpit.
However, we can clearly see two canted vertical stabilizers, and that the aircraft is a blended wing body design. It should be noted, as mentioned earlier, the facility at Gaobeidian is a RCS test facility, and the aircraft could just be a representative test object to assess its radar visibility and stealth materials.
Just translated: pic.twitter.com/E3Vp4nmbOv
— @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) October 27, 2025
The aircraft in the paper meanwhile has a classic top and back-covered cockpit, again suggesting a large strategic bomber, with the illustration therein hinting that the entire cockpit section was being studied to be “ejectable.” This would not be a novelty, as the U.S.-made F-111 Aardvark featured an escape module that ejected the entire cockpit.
Ejecting while at high-altitudes and high-supersonic speeds can possibly harm the crew, and thus the idea of a secured module that protects them from the elements. Except for Rupprecht’s post, any similarity between the aircraft in the paper and the satellite image is not discernible.
Rupprecht also posted an English-translated extract of the paper, where the author outlined his version of a development path for various hypersonic weapons. This includes first developing “hypersonic cruise missiles” for “rapid response, strong penetration capabilities.” China already has tested and deployed systems such as the DF-17 rocket that launches the DF-ZF HGV (Hypersonic Glide Vehicle), and the YJ-19 hypersonic anti-ship missile.
The next is “hypersonic aircraft” for “long-range rapid deployment” and high-altitude air combat, with an expected speed of Mach 8-10. This would entail a “huge” scale of “technical difficulty” to develop.
The last stage is developing “space planes” primarily for “humanity’s advance” into the future, followed by their “dual-use” nature to be used for “space control,” as that domain would increasingly be contested in the future.
The successful development of the DF-17 ballistic missile marked China’s move into a leading position in hypsersonic weapons: President Xi pic.twitter.com/CPceda6cHy
— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) May 31, 2021
Other papers on hypersonic and high-speed flight
The SCMP (South China Morning Post) reported in January 2023 that a team, led by Yin Zhongjie from the Shanghai Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, developed new algorithms for hypersonic missile tracking with complex mathematics, since the existing code was suitable for mid-course interception of missiles with rocket motors. The new equations allow a computer to accurately predict the path of an air-breathing hypersonic aircraft.
Interestingly, the new algorithm was based on a solution developed by then-student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) David Benson in his PhD thesis. SCMP adds that Benson, according to his LinkedIn profile, is now one of the leading scientists at Charles Stark Draper Laboratory. Hypersonic technology is one of the institute’s leading areas of research.
Prior to that, in January 2022, SCMP reported that China’s Science and Technology in Space Physics Laboratory claimed to have found a way to break through the ‘communications blackout’ that happens with hypersonic missiles. The extremely high temperatures on artificial objects, because of the friction between their surfaces and the atmosphere during re-entry, generate ‘plasma shields’ of ionized gas on the surface, blocking signals.
To allow radar waves to reach the object, Tianjin University’s School of Precision Instruments and Optoelectronics Engineering invented a laser system that can emit a continuous beam of electromagnetic waves in the teraHertz spectrum, which is needed for 6G next-communication technology. In other words, these papers examine the extreme physics and engineering associated with high-supersonic and hypersonic flight.
