BEAM Channel

Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, broke with his party on Thursday and said he would vote for a Republican-written bill to keep federal funding flowing past a midnight Friday deadline, making a forceful case for why Democrats could not allow a government shutdown that many of them have demanded.

China has announced that its new engine has shown the capability to reach speeds of Mach 16 in tests. The oblique detonation engine (ODE), which runs on common aviation kerosene, achieved this performance during tests at the JF-12 shock tunnel in Beijing.

The results show combustion rates that are 1,000 times faster than traditional scramjets, with an operational range between Mach 6 and Mach 16—where most air-breathing engines fail.

During tests, the engine maintained Mach 9 for about 150 meters (492 feet), limited by the tunnel’s 50-millisecond runtime. Despite this, researchers gathered crucial data on ignition and thrust performance at hypersonic speeds.

At peak performance, the engine showed even greater thrust potential. This breakthrough moves China closer to its goal of developing a Mach 16 aircraft by 2030 and advancing its hypersonic military capabilities, including missiles and drones.