Posted on 11/20/2021 2:24:34 PM PST by BenLurkin
That whole maneuvering thing can indeed be tough. I remember the Russians shooting 5 cruise missiles from the Caspian to Syria and timing them by route turns to land at the same time. Easier at the slower speeds. Then I remember guys telling me that it takes a Blackbird about 180 miles to make a 180 degree turn, at speed. If one is going to fly hypersonic then making any kind of turn is going to be a neat trick. Try, just for fun, figgering out how you would turn a big rifle bullet?
learn something new every day
Well that will make sure it doesn’t cost too much and will be done in a timely manner. /s
Those of us who worked on National Aerospace Plane (X-30) technologies (mach 25) are pissed it took this long.
Most of us came to that conclusion decades ago. You wouldn’t do much turning streaking across the sky like a meteor.
My niece is an engineer there.
Boeing has flown hypersonic missiles since the 60’s.
Boeing doesn’t know how to curb their arrogance to win important contracts.
We have it. . .since the mid-60’s. Technology demonstrator and refinements over decades but presentations to CJCS at the time (Michael Mullen) went no where. . .he had more “important” stuff to fund.
Not classified to see, performance data is classified. We’ve been pushing for full funding since the mid-60’s. All unclassified in the documents, but performance specs are.
It is a missile that skips along the top of the atmosphere. . .proven technology since the mid-60s.
It is launched like a missile, hits “low orbit” (skips along the upper atmosphere), maneuvers using fins so we can choose what angle to attack and what countries to avoid overflight, then it gets close and begins its terminal phase using its fins for control.
You program tgt coordinates and during mid-phase make adjustments for attack axis and avoid overflight or select countries. All the maneuvering at the top speed takes place far, far from the target and at altitude, and when it begins its decent, its fins adjust and refine the attack axis.
ping
It is launched like a missile, hits “low orbit” (skips along the upper atmosphere), maneuvers using fins so we can choose what angle to attack and what countries to avoid overflight, then it gets close and begins its terminal phase using its fins for control.
+++++
Much thanks for that. It makes sense.
Why not award the contract to China?
Hunter has already been paid for conceptual art work of them
Glide phase means no thrust, but, that doesn’t mean no steering. Sailplanes have no engines, but can still be steered.
My somewhat educated guess is that skin-to-skin intercept is not the optimal countermeasure for a hypersonic weapon in glide phase in atmosphere, because your target could be maneuvering at least somewhat.
You target enemy missiles in their different phases of flight, differently. In boost phase or mid-course in space, skin-to-skin intercept is the method and is quite feasible when the target cannot maneuver. Directed energy against the booster is another option for boost phase, depending on the circumstances.
For hypersonic glide phase in atmosphere, the options seem to be directed energy, or a warhead which dispenses many thousands of BBs in the immediate path of the target vehicle. Use the target’s high speed against it. The relatively massive shrapnel in conventional air-intercept warheads would be sub-optimal for this job because the small hypersonic target could possibly miss the relatively fewer pieces of shrapnel as they disperse.
An expanding cloud of many thousands of tungsten BBs should do it, if delivered to the right spot at the right time.
You mean similar to the Space Shuttle on re-entry?? 17,000 MPH (~mach 23) to 0.
Lets hope we know what potential enemies have too. Our intelligence agencies have to get penetration in the enemy camp.
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