According to a Chinese scientist, China has moved closer to creating supersonic submarine that could travel from Shanghai to San Francisco covering about 9,900km in less than two hours.

A team of scientists at Harbin Institute of Technology's Complex Flow and Heat Transfer Lab headed by Prof. Li Fengchen are coming up with a new technology that could make it easier for a submarine or torpedo to travel at very high speeds underwater, according to the Hong Kong based South China Morning Post reports on Sunday.

At the time of the cold war, the Soviet military made a technology known as supercavitation.

According to Li, the team of Chinese scientists had found a new way to deal with problems such as making a submerged vessel to travel at high speeds to produce and maintain the air bubble with a rudder placed within it to avoid direct contact with water.

Up till now, its applications are limited to unmanned vessels like torpedoes but all these torpedoes were fired directly because of their limited ability to turn.

Li said their technique is different from any other approach like vector propulsion or thrust created by an engine.

Supersonic submarine could cover the distance from Shanghai China to San Francisco in less than two hours.

The team's supercavitation vessel would create a liquid membrane on its own surface, reducing the water drag on the vessel at less speed. The vessel would move into the supercavitation state if the speed reaches 75kmph or more. At this phase, the membrane could help with steering because if there will be control then the different variable levels of friction could be made.

"By combining liquid-membrane technology with supercavitation, we can reduce the launch challenges and make cruising control easier", Li said.

Still there are various problems that are required to be solved before supersonic submarine travel becomes feasible, Li said.