China will develop a supersonic speed HyperFlight transport network with a designed speed of up to 4,000 kilometers per hour, China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) announced Wednesday at the Third China (International) Commercial Aerospace Forum.
HyperFlight speeds will be ten times that of traditional high-speed trains, and five times that of the passenger airplanes, sources with CASIC said at the forum in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province.
The maximum speed will be 4,000 km per hour, it said.
The sources said the company would complete the HyperFlight program in three steps. The first step will be building a regional inter-city network with speeds of 1,000 km per hour. The second step is building a national network linking major city clusters with speeds of 2,000 km per hour, and the third step will be an international network with speeds of 4,000 km per hour to link countries along the Belt and Road routes.
HyperFlight will be a new signature product for China in addition to aerospace, high-speed rail and nuclear power, according to the company.
It will feature a transport system reducing air resistance with a low vacuum environment and supersonic shape, and reduce friction resistance via magnetic suspension.
Apart from CASIC, only a few companies, including HTT and Hyperloop One, both in the United States, have claimed to be developing a transport system with speeds of more than 1,000 km per hour.
Mao Kai, technical director of the HyperFlight project, said his company has teamed up with more than 20 research institutions from China and abroad, and boasts 200 patents in related fields.
Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers sent Lamar Jackson and the Ravens home for the playoffs. The Panthers are NFC South champions for the first time in 10 years. The Broncos are the AFC's No. 1 seed.
Rodgers threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Calvin Austin III with 55 seconds left and Pittsburgh secured the AFC North title with a 26-24 victory when Baltimore's Tyler Loop missed a 44-yard field goal wide right as time expired on Sunday night in the final game of the NFL's regular season.
“It's pretty emotional,” said Rodgers, who is heading to the playoffs for the first time since the 2021 season. “I'm thankful for these guys. ... It's been an absolute blessing to be here.”
Carolina clinched its division title when the Falcons beat the Saints 19-17 on Sunday to eliminate the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Denver secured a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs with a 19-3 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. Seattle earned the NFC's No. 1 seed on Saturday night, defeating San Francisco 13-3.
The Jaguars won the AFC South with a 41-7 rout of Tennessee. Rookie coach Liam Coen and Trevor Lawrence led the Jaguars to a major turnaround after going 4-13 in 2024.
Wild-card weekend will feature these matchups (all times EST):
— Los Angeles Rams (12-5) at Carolina Panthers (8-9), Saturday, 4:30 p.m.
— Green Bay Packers (9-6-1) at Chicago Bears (11-6), Saturday, 8 p.m.
— Buffalo Bills (12-5) at Jacksonville Jaguars (13-4), Sunday, 1 p.m.
— San Francisco 49ers (12-5) at Philadelphia Eagles (11-6), Sunday, 4:30 p.m.
— Los Angeles Chargers (11-6) at New England Patriots (14-3), Sunday, 8 p.m.
— Houston Texans (12-5) at Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7), Monday, 8 p.m.
Led by second-year coach Dave Canales and third-year quarterback Bryce Young, the Panthers are making their first playoff appearance under owner David Tepper and first since 2017, when they lost a wild-card game two years after they went 15-1 and lost the Super Bowl.
“I’m so grateful to have one more opportunity to get back to work where we can get on the grass, go through the preparation and have our meetings,” Canales said Sunday. “Once we are in cleats and on that grass it’s like the next thing becomes clear, the focus of what we are doing. ... It’s like here we go, we get one opportunity and let’s make this statement true: 1-0 with a chance to win a championship. How long can we keep that statement true?”
The Buccaneers (8-9) beat Carolina on Saturday to stay alive for an extra day but lost a three-team tiebreaker with the Falcons also finishing 8-9. Tampa Bay started 6-2 before losing seven of nine, failing to win its fifth straight division title.
While Sam Darnold and the Seahawks (14-3) earned a first-round bye, Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey and the injury-depleted 49ers missed an opportunity to play at home the rest of the way. Levi's Stadium, which is San Francisco's home field, hosts the Super Bowl on Feb. 8.
New England won its first division title since Tom Brady led the franchise to 11 straight from 2009-19.
Buffalo’s run of five consecutive division crowns ended, and the Bills will go on the road in the playoffs.
The Steelers won their first division title since 2020.
Jacksonville won the division for the first time since 2022, when first-year coach Doug Pederson guided them to a 9-8 record and a wild-card playoff victory over the Chargers, overcoming a 27-0 deficit.
The Texans secured the No. 5 seed with a 38-30 victory over Indianapolis. Houston is in the playoffs for the third straight season under coach DeMeco Ryans and QB C.J. Stroud.
The Broncos ended Kansas City’s nine-year run. Denver hasn't been the No. 1 seed since Peyton Manning and a stifling defense beat Carolina in the Super Bowl 10 years ago.
The Chargers are in the playoffs for the second straight season under Jim Harbaugh.
The defending Super Bowl champion Eagles became the first team to win this division in consecutive seasons in two decades. They missed a chance to be the No. 2 seed when they rested starters and lost 24-17 to Washington.
The Bears clinched their first division championship since 2018. They lost 19-16 to Detroit but secured the No. 2 seed because the Eagles lost.
The Packers were locked into the No. 7 seed after Week 17.
The Panthers backed into a division title but are ahead of schedule in their rebuilding process.
The Seahawks earned the No. 1 seed for the fourth time in team history. They reached the Super Bowl the first three, winning once.
The Rams beat the Arizona Cardinals 37-20 to secure the No. 5 seed and a rematch at Carolina. The Panthers beat them 31-28 on Nov. 30.
After falling to secure a bye, the 49ers dropped to the No. 6 seed and will face Philadelphia in a rematch of the NFC championship game following the 2022 season.
AP Sports Writer Steve Reed contributed to this report.
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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) runs with the ball during the first half of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) passes against the Los Angeles Chargers during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) runs the ball past Tennessee Titans outside linebackers Truman Jones (56) and Jaylen Harrell, far right, during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young, right, hands off to running back Rico Dowdle (5) during the first half of an NFL football game Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Seattle Seahawks linebacker Drake Thomas, left, is congratulated by safety Ty Okada (39) and linebacker Ernest Jones IV after intercepting a pass against the San Francisco 49ers during the second half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) runs against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Carolina Panthers wide receiver Xavier Legette (17) makes a catch over Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Tykee Smith (23) during the second half of an NFL football game Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)
Carolina Panthers wide receiver Jalen Coker (18) reacts after his touchdown catch over Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Benjamin Morrison (21) during the second half of an NFL football game Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David (54) celebrates after recovering a fumble by Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle during the second half of an NFL football game Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)
