China assembles full-scale TMS-10 supersonic demonstrator for test flights

A full-scale supersonic technology demonstrator in development in China is in final assembly and is expected to fly this year. The TMS-10 is meant to support work on a ten- to fifteen-seat business aircraft.

A 1:18 scaled demonstrator flew in June 2025, reaching speeds below Mach 0.2. The current vehicle is being built at full size.

The coming tests are not only about speed. The aircraft has three lifting surfaces: wings, canards at the front of the fuselage, and a T-tail at the rear. The canards prevent shock waves from the nose and the wing from merging, according to the project's description, while the tail spreads those waves further and weakens them before they reach the ground. The aim is a quieter sonic boom.

If the programme succeeds, the design is meant to carry passengers at a cruise speed of Mach 2, roughly 2,100 km/h, with subsonic flight at about Mach 0.95, or 1,175 km/h, also possible. At those speeds, a flight between Beijing and Shanghai that currently takes about two hours would theoretically take half an hour.

Supersonic passenger concepts are also being pursued in the United States, where Boom Supersonic and Spike Aerospace are working on designs, including a supersonic business jet.