Chinese scientists from the Taihang National Laboratory, an aerospace research instituted located in southwest region of the country, have completed ground tests on a new superfast turbojet engine. According to reports, the new engine incorporates artificial intelligence (AI) and can reach speeds of up to Mach 4.

The engine and research behind it are part of China's quest to build fast reconnaissance aircraft similar to the America's legendary Lockheed Martin SR-71 'Blackbird'. Capable of flying at the speed of sound on altitudes of over 85,000 feet, the aircraft made aviation history.

First developed in the 1960s, this iconic 'Blackbird' could reach speeds of Mach 3.2 and served with distinction until its final retirement in 1999. Since then, no viable replacement has been developed by any nation, but if reports are accurate, China could be closer than most.

China's answer to 'Blackbird'?

The turbojet engine features a dual-mode design similar to the J58 engine used on the 'Blackbird'. The Taihang National Laboratory is well placed for such research, being China's primary developer of advanced engines. The laboratory responsible for developing China's Taihang series engines that power advanced fighter jets like the J-20.

According to a report in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the latest engine technology uses turbines to compress air for efficient combustion at low speeds and opens an additional air intake during high-speed cruising to allow air to go straight into the combustion chamber for higher thrust.

To this end, the scientists developed an "enhanced high-Mach adaptive model" to improve the engine’s performance, enabling it to work "smartly" under nearly all operating conditions. This, in part, helps the design meet the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) "engineering application requirements," the team explained.

The development process, however, was not without challenges. One major issue the team faced was the discrepancy between the onboard computer’s estimation of the engine's status and the actual situation, which can affect engine control significantly.

"In practical applications, there is a deviation between the on-board real-time model’s estimated output and the true output," the research team wrote in its paper published in the Chinese journal Propulsion Technology. This was mainly because engine parts are marginally different from design values due to manufacturing and installation uncertainties.

AI included as standard

The team also noted that engine components' performance can also decline over time. This is a long-standing issue for many aircraft, including the 'Blackbird', which often suffered engine oil leaks due to widening gaps between parts. Such issues are difficult to address through computer simulations.

However, manufacturing precision and quality control have significantly improved over the past few decades. This allowed the research team to conduct varying experiments in order to gather error data and use it to enhance model accuracy.

The team developed a unique artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm that enables military chips to undertake large number of complex calculations in a short time.

“The model can track and estimate engine characteristic parameters and health parameters online in real-time with high accuracy, proving high engineering application value,” the team wrote.

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