Unique Intamin Launched Coaster Blasts Off in China

© Intamin

Intamin has designed a brand new launched roller coaster for Hefei Wanda Cultural Tourism City, pictured above and located in China, that looks like a ride we all would want in our local park.  The coaster, who's name translates into Soaring With Dragon, is technically a complete circuit, though the use of a switch track allows the trains to have both forward and backward launches (up a vertical 197 foot spike) before taking on a giant non-inverting loop.

No only do the launches send the trains at a top speed of around 77 miles per hour, the coaster also features the tallest non-inverting loop on any coaster, at 187 feet - an element considerably taller than many coasters!

This video shows the coaster in action, along with many of its other elements:

After that huge non-inverting loop there is an inverted top hat element that turns the trains out toward the park's center lake.  The trains then zoom through several large helices, one wrapped around a large thematic element by the water.  The ride's actual track length is 3,437 feet, but due to the backward and forward launches the trains travel 4,192 before the experience is over.

Hopefully the success of this new coaster leads to other designs, and with any luck they will be a bit closer to home!  For more on the ride, including photos and other details, check out this article from Blooloop.