Abstract: To study the start/unstart phenomenon of the air-breathing vehicle inlet caused by acceleration or deceleration, which also bring the problem of aerodynamic mutation on vehicle, the test technique of continuous varying Mach number was performed in the 1.2 m supersonic wind tunnel based on the flow mechanism of the 2D wedge shock wave. By developing the shock wave generator system, continuous varying Mach number was realized successfully in one wind tunnel test process. And it has also been confirmed that the technical method can make Mach number vary simply and quickly with high quality and precision. Through the flow-field calibration, the quality of the instantaneous flow-field in variable Mach number region meets the standards of GJB eligibly, and thus the field can be used for force and pressure test compliantly. In addition, the test of inlet starting characteristics was carried out and the dynamic process and critical state from start to unstart were captured, which indicates that the test results agree with the numerical simulation accurately.