China developing protective shield for fighter pilots which can detach and protect them even at supersonic speeds

New Delhi: China is developing an ejectable cockpit system for supersonic fighter jets. Such cockpits would safely disengage the pilot from the aircraft in the event of a high-speed accident, facilitating a safe landing. Research papers and several test flight photos related to the development of this ejectable cockpit system have been released. However, this development by China is being considered a threat to Britain.

Improving pilot safety

According to a report in the Eurasian Times, China’s development of this technology aims to improve pilot safety during high-speed flight. It is believed that China could use it in hypersonic and supersonic fighter jets. These high-speed aircraft could also be used in civilian areas. The goal of this technology is to develop a modular escape system designed to disengage the pilot from the aircraft during flight.

Britain’s Martin-Baker suffers a setback

Interestingly, only companies in the United States, Britain, Russia, Switzerland, France, and China manufacture ejection seats. Martin-Baker (United Kingdom) is widely considered a leader in the industry. The company has manufactured over 70,000 ejection seats for 93 air forces around the world and has a long history of saving lives. As of the beginning of November 2025, Martin-Baker ejection seats had saved 7,802 lives. Martin-Baker began collecting data on its ejection seats on May 30, 1949.

How Martin-Baker updates ejection data

Martin-Baker updates this number when pilots successfully eject from their seats and does not publicly report details of unsuccessful ejections or aircraft lost in combat. Due to the sensitive nature of operator deployments, Martin-Baker does not receive automatic information about ejections. They rely on official communications from operators or confirmed accident reports, when available.

Chinese ejectable cockpit

China has long been working on ejectable cockpits for high-speed supersonic flight. A Chinese research paper has drawn attention to a mysterious test object at the Gaobeidian radar range. Analysts believe this research is aimed at facilitating crew ejection from a “high-supersonic aircraft,” where the entire cockpit module would eject.