China’s new hypersonic drone beats F-22 in aerodynamic efficiency

A new breed of China’s unmanned hypersonic aircraft can now challenge the aerodynamic performance of the most advanced fighter aircraft in the US military.

The new hypersonic drone boasts a lift-to-drag ratio of 8.4 in subsonic flight. While it is not exceptionally high, it is already on a par to that of the F-22 Raptor, South China Morning Post reports citing a group of scientists from Beijing.

The lift-to-drag ratio is a crucial parameter for measuring aerodynamic efficiency. A higher value indicates greater resistance of the aircraft to the pull of gravity and enables it to fly a greater distance.

The F-22 is the only stealth fighter in the US military capable of supercruise, or sustained flight at supersonic speeds.

This performance allows the drone to manoeuvre flexibly even in the thin atmosphere at high altitudes, posing a challenge to missile defence systems that rely on predicting flight trajectories.