From fiction to flight: China’s new missile could shapeshift at Mach 5 revolutionising warfare

China may have just crossed a frontier once deemed impossible in aerospace engineering. According to a report by The South China Morning Post, Chinese military scientists have developed and tested a prototype hypersonic missile capable of “shapeshifting” — altering its aerodynamic profile mid-flight — while travelling at speeds exceeding Mach 5. 

The breakthrough, detailed in a peer-reviewed paper published on October 20 in Acta Aeronautica et Astronautica Sinica, was led by Professor Wang Peng from the College of Aerospace Science and Engineering at the National University of Defence Technology (NUDT). The study outlines a missile equipped with retractable wings that can tuck into the fuselage for maximum velocity, and redeploy to increase lift and manoeuvrability as needed. 

From theory to reality 

The NUDT research team confirmed that the prototype had successfully cleared hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) ground tests — a crucial validation step proving the system’s algorithms and key components can perform under real-world conditions. Unlike conventional designs with fixed or simple deployable wings, this missile can dynamically adjust its geometry in real time, allowing it to modify flight characteristics mid-course. 

Such a feat, if operationalised, could transform the balance between speed and control in hypersonic weapon systems — two factors long thought to be mutually exclusive. 

Aerodynamic dogma 

For decades, Western aerospace experts maintained that manoeuvrability declines sharply as velocity increases, with hypersonic vehicles inherently limited to fixed trajectories. But China’s reported advancement challenges that belief head-on. 

The development also adds new intrigue to Beijing’s earlier unveiling of the Changjian-1000 (CJ-1000) hypersonic cruise missile during a national military parade on September 3. While the weapon was displayed inside a sealed canister, defence analysts speculated that its unmatched ability to strike moving targets — including aircraft carriers and stealth bombers — might stem from a morphing-wing design similar to the one now described in Wang’s paper. 

Physics of the impossible 

Controlling a morphing vehicle at hypersonic speeds presents one of the toughest problems in modern engineering. At Mach 5 and beyond, surface temperatures can exceed 2,000°C, causing structural deformation and plasma formation around the airframe. Introducing movable wings multiplies those risks, as the aircraft’s geometry and airflow change constantly. 

Moreover, on-board flight computers face severe power and processing limitations. The challenge lies in maintaining stability without inducing destructive vibrations — a phenomenon known as control chattering. Wang’s team claims to have developed an advanced control algorithm that suppresses these oscillations, marking a potentially world-first solution to a problem that has plagued hypersonic research globally. 

Beyond the battlefield 

While primarily aimed at defence applications, experts believe morphing hypersonic technologies could revolutionise civil aviation as well. The ability to adapt wing profiles mid-flight might one day enable intercontinental travel in under two hours, or even reusable space-launch systems that dramatically cut costs and turnaround times. 

However, challenges persist. Photographs of the prototype reveal visible seams where the wings retract — raising questions about thermal sealing, plasma resistance, and stealth performance under extreme conditions. Preventing superheated gases from breaching the fuselage, while maintaining radar invisibility, remains a formidable engineering task. 

If validated, China’s shapeshifting missile could represent a generational leap in aerospace design, redefining what’s possible at hypersonic speeds.