Abstract: A semi-active metallic thermal protection system based upon heat pipes is designed for the leading edge structure of a hypersonic vehicle in this paper. The engineering estimation method is adopted to predict the aerodynamic heating environment of the structure. The finite element method is used for the thermal-solid coupling analysis and the strength evaluation. The calculated results show that: for a hypersonic vehicle under a cruise Mach number of 5~8, the peal (temperature of the leading edge would reduce 23%-31%, with the use of heat pipes, and the reduction increases with the increase of the Mach number. The maximum temperature difference also decreases by at least 90%, with significantly reduced thermal strain and stress level. Consequently, it is possible to reduce the weight of the structure. The semi-active thermal protection system based upon heat pipes is a promising solution for the leading edges of hypersonic vehicles in terms ofboth thermal protection and structural efficiency.