Chinese air force may have cracked how to land a hypersonic drone

Landing an unmanned aircraft flying at above five times the speed of sound on a standard air strip is not easy, but Chinese military researchers say they have found a way to make it safer, potentially bringing applications for hypersonic flight a step closer.

The technology has progressed considerably, with China and Russia deploying various types of hypersonic missiles in recent years, and growing interest in applying the advances to drones. But bringing such aircraft back to ground safely has proved problematic – even more so with the added urgency and complexity of a military setting.