World’s First Hypersonic Drone Landing: China Takes Military Aviation to New Heights

China has reportedly achieved a groundbreaking milestone in military aviation: successfully landing a hypersonic unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) on a runway after flight, a world first.

On Wednesday, The War Zone revealed details of China’s’ recent tests of hypersonic drones, including the MD-19, MD-21, and the codenamed MD-2. These drones, capable of traveling five times faster than the speed of sound, are designed for reconnaissance, surveillance, and potentially missile operations.

The MD-19, in particular, demonstrated its prowess by completing a supersonic flight and executing a smooth runway landing. According to Sing Tao Daily, unlike other hypersonic drones that are typically destroyed after a single mission, the MD-19’s reusability offers significant cost savings and expanded technological research and development opportunities. The MD-19 can be deployed from various launch systems, including manned aircraft, unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) such as the TB-001, and high-altitude balloons.

Guoping Vision (國平視野) hailed this achievement as a “crucial milestone in China’s drone development,” predicting that it could be a “true game-changer” and set a new benchmark for global UAV technology.