Innovative Chinese missile breathes air or water for multi-mode attacks

Supersonic in the air and supercavitating under the water

This remarkable anti-ship weapon would run an innovative boron-powered ramjet engine that works in both air and water. Supersonic in the air and supercavitating under the water, it could strike farther and faster than any conventional torpedo.

A research team from the National University of Defence Technology in Changsha, Hunan province, has published plans for a 5-meter (16.4-ft) “cross media” anti-ship missile that’s so fast that no existing ship defense system can defeat it, according to the South China Morning Post.

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In the air, it would cruise at up to Mach 2.5, at altitudes about 10,000 m (32,800 ft), for distances up to 200 km (124 miles). It would then dive low and skim the waves for as much as 20 km (12.4 miles) to avoid detection. About 10 km (6.2 miles) from its target – or indeed, whenever necessary – it would plunge into the water and become a supercavitating torpedo, reducing drag by traveling in a bubble of air to maintain speeds up to 100 m/sec (224 mph/360 km/h).

Read more: New Atlas