China has completed a super-speed electromagnetic test facility for the development of fighter jet catapults, maglev trains, space launches and other advanced technologies, according to state media.

In a recent operational test, the device accelerated more than 1 tonne of weight to a speed of 1,030km/h (640 miles per hour), setting a new world record, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

Footage aired of the experiment showed a large object in a shape similar to a bullet train being shot off and moving speedily along a special track.

“Five key technologies involved in the test, such as high-thrust high-speed linear motors and 100-megawatt wide-frequency inverter power supply, have also reached world-leading level,” the report said.

It said the facility in Jinan, in China’s eastern Shandong province, was set up for the testing of aerial or super-speed ground equipment, as it would provide a powerful, fast responsive, accurate and controllable method to the developers.

Technologies including magnetic levitation, or maglev, and ultra-high-speed electromagnetic launch and propulsion are expected to benefit from the project.

“This project is of great significance in supporting the rapid development of advanced heavyweight ultra-high-speed equipment in China,” the CCTV report said after the October 20 test.

China’s electromagnetic propulsion technologies and equipment have made significant advances in recent years. A rail gun, which propels shells with electromagnetic force, was mounted on a ship and tested in 2018.

Also, the domestically built aircraft carrier Fujian, launched in June this year, is fitted with electromagnetic catapults to launch fighter jets. This makes the Fujian only the second in the world – after the USS Gerald R. Ford-class warships – to have this most advanced system.

An electromagnetic catapult on the carrier could accelerate a plane to reach its take-off speed on the rail within a very short distance. Electromagnetic power has a lot of advantages compared to last generation’s steam power, but its technological complexity also makes it less reliable.

The USS Gerald Ford has reported a high rate of failure in its operation, and in 2020 a US government report said the reliability goals were not expected to be reached until the 2030s.

The Fujian’s catapults are yet to be tested as the vessel is still being fitted out.

The Chinese navy’s previous two carriers do not even feature steam catapults but ski jump decks to launch jets.

Chinese scientists are also developing electromagnetic launch systems for space missions, called Qingzhou and Yuzhou, which are designed to replace the first stage of a vehicle rocket with an electromagnetic catapult.

Although the 30km (18.6-mile) Shanghai Maglev Line connecting its Pudong airport to the city is the world’s first and fastest such train line in operation, running since 2003 with a top speed of 430km/h, it is a German import.

Jinan’s “electromagnetic propulsion ground hypervelocity test device” – or “electromagnetic lever” – could help realise China’s larger plan to build a high-speed maglev network across the country with home-grown technologies.

The new facility was developed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Electrical Engineering. The project began in 2019, with operations starting last December.

by Liu Zhen in SCMP, 30 Oct, 2022

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3197717/china-set-world-record-new-super-speed-electromagnetic-lever-test-state-media-says?module=lead_hero_story&pgtype=homepage