By Alimat Aliyeva

A group of researchers from China is developing a new type of hypersonic glider with its solid-fuel engine, which theoretically can hit targets anywhere in the world, Azernews reports.

According to the idea of the developers, the device should fly along the trajectory of "wave-like planning". The flight pattern resembles a game: when flat stones or other objects are thrown into the water in such a way that they bounce off its surface several times. Thus, during planning from space, the glider must bounce off the upper atmosphere several times at a given height and gain altitude again. The author of the principle is considered to be the Austrian scientist Eugen Sanger, who, within the framework of the Silbervogel project ("Silberfogel"), developed a space bomber for Nazi Germany during World War II.

Chinese designers have developed a model in which the fuselage is integrated with W-shaped wings. Computer simulations have shown that the maximum speed of the device will reach Mach 20, while it will be able to maintain it above Mach 17 for longer than 30 minutes. After a flight lasting about an hour, the glider will still be able to glide at speeds above Mach 7, which will make it possible to hit targets almost anywhere on Earth.

Unlike gliders, which are not equipped with their rocket accelerator, the promising model will be twice less prone to overheating, which will make it easier to design due to fewer heat-resistant materials.