Panorama of JF12 shockwave hypersonic wind tunnel at Chinese national key laboratory Qian Xuesen Engineering Science Experiment Base in Huairou district, Beijing, July 26, 2013. [Photo/Chinanews.com]

In May 2012, China opened the JF12 shockwave hypersonic wind tunnel. Known internationally as the "Hyper Dragon", JF12 is a 265-metre-long tunnel that can replicate flying conditions at an altitude of 25 to 50 km.

As wind tunnel is the basic research that decides how advanced aircraft may be developed, the achievement is a new scientific breakthrough in China's aeronautics and astronautics industry.