Battle for hypersound
Mastering Competition aviation hypersonic speeds began during the Cold War. In those years, designers and engineers of the USSR, the USA and other developed countries designed new aircraft that could fly 2-3 times faster than the speed of sound. The race for speed has generated many discoveries in the field of aerodynamics of flights in the atmosphere and quickly reached the limits of the physical capabilities of pilots and the cost of manufacturing an aircraft. As a result, rocket design bureaus were the first to master the hypersound in their offspring - intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and launch vehicles. When launching satellites into near-earth orbits, the rockets developed speeds of 18000 - 25000 km / h. This far exceeded the limit parameters of the fastest supersonic aircraft, both civilian (Concord = 2150 km / h, Tu-144 = 2300 km / h) and military (SR-71 = 3540 km / h, MiG-31 = 3000 km / hour).
Separately, I would like to note that when designing the supersonic MiG-31 interceptor aircraft engineer G.Ye. Lozino-Lozinsky used advanced materials (titanium, molybdenum, etc.) in the airframe design, which allowed the aircraft to reach a record height of manned flight (MiG-31D) and maximum speed in 7000 km / h in the upper atmosphere. In 1977, test pilot Alexander Fedotov set on his predecessor MiG-25 the absolute world record of flight altitude - 37650 meters (for comparison, the SR-71 has a maximum flight height of 25929 meters). Unfortunately, engines for flying at high altitudes in a highly rarefied atmosphere were not yet created, since these technologies were only developed in the depths of Soviet research institutes and design bureaus as part of numerous experimental studies.
A new stage in the development of hypersound technology was research projects to create aerospace systems that combined the capabilities of aviation (aerobatics and maneuver, landing on the runway) and spacecraft (going into orbit, orbital flight, descending from orbit). In the USSR and the USA, these programs have worked partly, revealing the space orbital aircraft Buran and the Space Shuttle to the world.
Why partially? The fact is that the launch of the aircraft into orbit was carried out with the help of a launch vehicle. The cost of the withdrawal was enormous, about 450 million dollars (according to the Space Shuttle program), which was several times higher than the cost of the most expensive civilian and military aircraft, did not allow the orbital plane to make a mass product. The need to invest gigantic funds in the creation of infrastructure that provides ultra-fast intercontinental flights (space centers, flight control centers, fuel filling complexes) has finally buried the prospect of passenger traffic.
The only customer, at least somehow interested in hypersonic devices, remained the military. True, this interest was episodic. The military programs of the USSR and the USA for the creation of aerospace aircraft proceeded along different paths. Still, they were most consistently implemented in the USSR: from the project to create a PKA (planning spacecraft) to MAKS (multipurpose aviation space system) and Buran a consistent and uninterrupted chain of scientific and technical groundwork was built, on the basis of which the foundation of future experimental flights prototypes of hypersonic aircraft.
Rocket design bureaus continued to improve their ICBMs. With the advent of modern air defense systems and missile defense systems capable of shooting down combat units of ICBMs at a great distance, they began to place new demands on the striking elements of ballistic missiles. The warheads of the new ICBM were to overcome the enemy's air and missile defense. So there appeared combat units capable of overcoming A / C at hypersonic speeds (M = 5-6).
The development of hypersonic technology for combat units (warheads) of ICBMs allowed the launch of several projects to create defense and offensive hypersonic weapons - Kinetic (railgun), dynamic (cruise missiles) and space (impact from orbit).
The revitalization of geopolitical rivalry between the United States and Russia and China reanimated the topic of hypersound as a promising tool capable of providing an advantage in the field of space and rocket-aircraft weapons. The increased interest in these technologies is also due to the concept of causing maximum damage to the enemy with conventional (non-nuclear) weapons, which is actually implemented by NATO countries led by the United States.
Indeed, if the military commanders have at least a hundred non-nuclear hypersonic devices that easily overcome existing air defense and missile defense systems, this “last argument of the kings” directly affects the strategic balance between the nuclear powers. Moreover, in the future, a hypersonic rocket can destroy elements of strategic nuclear forces both from the air and from space within a period of not more than an hour from the moment of the decision to the moment of hitting the target. It is this ideology embedded in the American military program Prompt Global Strike (quick global strike).
Is such a program feasible in practice? The arguments “for” and “against” were divided approximately equally. Let's figure it out.
American program Prompt Global Strike
the concept of Prompt Global Strike (PGS) was adopted in the 2000s at the initiative of the command of the US Armed Forces. Its key element is the ability to deliver a non-nuclear strike anywhere in the world within 60 minutes after a decision is made. Work within the framework of this concept is being carried out simultaneously in several directions.
First direction pgs, and the most realistic from a technical point of view, was the use of ICBMs with high-precision non-nuclear warheads, including cluster ones, which are equipped with a set of self-guided sub-munitions. As a test of this direction, the sea-based ICBM Trident II D5 was selected, delivering striking elements to the maximum range of 11300 kilometers. At this time, work is underway to reduce the QUO warheads to values in 60-90 meters.
The second direction is PGS selected strategic hypersonic cruise missiles (SGCR). Within the framework of the adopted concept, the X-51A Waverider (SED-WR) subprogram is being implemented. On the initiative of the US Air Force and the support of DARPA, since 2001, the development of a hypersonic missile has been carried out by Pratt & Whitney and Boeing.
The first result of the ongoing work should be the emergence of a technology demonstrator with an installed hypersonic ramjet engine by 2020 year. According to experts, the SGCR with this engine can have the following parameters: flight speed M = 7 – 8, maximum flight range 1300-1800 km, flight altitude 10-30 km.
In May 2007, after a detailed review of the progress of work on the X-51A WaveRider, military customers approved the rocket design. Experimental SGCB Boeing X-51A WaveRider is a classic cruise missile with the ventral scramjet and four-console tail unit. The materials and the thickness of the passive thermal protection were selected in accordance with the calculated estimates of the heat fluxes. The nose module of the rocket is made of tungsten with a silicon coating, which withstands kinetic heating to 1500 ° C. On the lower surface of the rocket, where temperatures up to 830 ° C are expected, ceramic tiles are used that were developed by Boeing for the Space Shuttle program. The X-51A rocket must meet high requirements for low visibility (EPR no more than 0,01 m 2). To accelerate the product to a speed corresponding to M = 5, it is planned to install a solid-fuel tandem rocket booster.
As the main carrier SGKR it is supposed to use planes of strategic aircraft of the USA. So far there is no information on how these missiles will be placed - under the wing or inside the fuselage of the “strategist”.
PGS 3 are programs to create systems of kinetic weapons, hitting targets from the orbit of the Earth. The Americans calculated in detail the results of the combat use of a tungsten rod about 6 meters in length and 30 cm in diameter, dropped from orbit and hitting a ground object at a speed of about 3500 m / s. According to calculations, energy equivalent to the 12 tonnes of trinitrotoluene (trotyl) is released at the meeting point.
The theoretical justification launched projects of two hypersonic vehicles (Falcon HTV-2 and AHW), which will be launched into orbit by launch vehicles and in combat mode will be able to plan in the atmosphere with increasing speed when approaching the target. While these developments are at the stage of preliminary design and experimental start-ups. The main problematic issues are still basing systems in space (space groups and combat platforms), high-precision targeting systems and securing launching into orbit (any launch and orbital objects are opened by Russian missile attack warning and space control systems). The Americans are hoping to solve the stealth problem after the 2019 year, with the launch of a reusable aerospace system that will put the payload into orbit "on an aircraft" through two stages - carrier aircraft (based on Boeing 747) and unmanned space aircraft (based on prototype apparatus X-37В).
Fourth direction pgs is a program to create an unmanned hypersonic reconnaissance aircraft based on the famous Lockheed Martin SR-71 Blackbird.
The Lockheed division, Skunk Works, is currently developing a promising UAV under the working name SR-72, which should be twice the maximum speed of the SR-71, reaching values around M = 6.
The development of a hypersonic scout is fully justified. First, the SR-72, due to its colossal speed, will be low vulnerable for air defense systems. Secondly, it will fill in the “gaps” in the work of satellites, promptly extracting strategic information and detecting mobile ICBM complexes, ships connections, and groupings of enemy forces in the theater of operations.
Two variants of the SR-72 aircraft, manned and unmanned, are being considered, and its use as a strike bomber, carrier of precision weapons, is also not excluded. Most likely, lightweight missiles without a main engine can be used as weapons, since they are not needed when launched at speed in 6 M. The weight released is likely to be used to increase the power of the CU. The flight prototype of the Lockheed Martin aircraft is scheduled to show in 2023 year.
Chinese project hypersonic aircraft DF-ZF
27 April 2016, the American edition of the Washington Free Beacon, citing sources at the Pentagon, reported to the world about the seventh test of a hypersonic Chinese aircraft DZ-ZF. The aircraft was launched from the Taiyuan Cosmodrome (Shanxi Province). According to the newspaper, the plane made maneuvers at speeds from 6400 to 11200 km / h, and fell at the test site in Western China.
“According to the intelligence of the United States, China plans to use a hypersonic aircraft as a means of delivering nuclear weapons capable of overcoming missile defense systems,” the publication noted. “DZ-ZF can also be used as a weapon capable of destroying a target anywhere in the world within an hour.”
According to the analysis conducted by the US intelligence of the entire test series, the launches of the hypersonic aircraft were carried out by short-range ballistic missiles DF-15 and DF-16 (range up to 1000 km), as well as medium-range DF-21 (range 1800 km). Further testing of launches on the DF-31А ICBMs (11200 km range) was not excluded. According to the test program, the following is known: separating from the carrier in the upper layers of the atmosphere, the apparatus of a cone-shaped form with acceleration planned down and maneuvered on the trajectory of the exit to the target.
Despite numerous publications by foreign media that the Chinese hypersonic aircraft (GLA) is intended to destroy American aircraft carriers, Chinese military experts were skeptical of such statements. They pointed to the well-known fact that the supersonic speed of a GLA creates a plasma cloud around the vehicle, which interferes with the operation of the on-board radar during course adjustment and aiming at such a moving target as an aircraft carrier.
As stated in an interview with China Daily by the professor of the PLA Rocket Forces Command College, Colonel Shao Yonglin: “The super high speed and range makes it (GLA) an excellent means of destroying ground targets. In the future, it can replace intercontinental ballistic missiles. ”
According to the report of the relevant committee of the US Congress, the DZ-ZF can be adopted by the PLA in the 2020 year, and its improved long-range version - by the 2025 year.
Scientific and technical background of Russia - hypersonic aircraft
Hypersonic Tu-2000
In the USSR, work on a hypersonic aircraft began in the Tupolev Design Bureau in the middle of the 1970-s, based on the Tu-144 production passenger aircraft. Conducted research and design of the aircraft, capable of speeds up to M = 6 (TU-260) and flight range to 12000 km, as well as hypersonic intercontinental aircraft TU-360. Its flight distance was to reach 16000 km. It was even prepared a draft passenger hypersonic aircraft Tu-244, designed to fly at an altitude of 28-32 km with a speed of M = 4,5-5.
In February, 1986 in the United States began research and development to create an X-30 spaceplane with an air-jet power plant capable of going into orbit in a single-stage version. The National Aerospace Plane (NASP) project was notable for an abundance of new technologies, the key of which was a dual-mode hypersonic ramjet engine, allowing to fly at speeds of M = 25. According to information obtained by the USSR intelligence service, the NASP was worked out for civil and military purposes.
The response to the development of the transatmospheric X-30 (NASP) was the resolution of the USSR government of 27 in January and 19 in July of 1986 on the creation of the equivalent of the American aerospace plane (VCS). 1 September 1986, the Ministry of Defense issued a technical task for a single-stage reusable aerospace aircraft (MVKS). According to this technical assignment, MVKS was supposed to ensure efficient and economical delivery of cargo to near-earth orbit, high-speed trans-atmospheric intercontinental transportation, and the solution of military tasks both in the atmosphere and in near space. Of the works submitted to the competition, the Tupolev Design Bureau, the Yakovlev Design Bureau and NPO Energia approved the Tu-2000 project.
As a result of preliminary studies under the MVKS program, the power plant was selected on the basis of proven and proven solutions. Existing jet engines (WFD) using atmospheric air had temperature limitations, they were used on aircraft whose speed did not exceed M = 3, and rocket engines had to carry a large amount of fuel on board and were not suitable for long flights in the atmosphere . Therefore, an important decision was made - that the aircraft could fly at supersonic speeds and at all altitudes, its engines should have the features of both aviation and space technology.
It turned out that the most rational for a hypersonic aircraft is a ramjet engine (ramjet), which has no rotating parts, in combination with a turbojet (TRD) engine for acceleration. It was assumed that for flights with hypersonic speeds, the ramjet on liquid hydrogen is most suitable. A booster engine is a turbojet engine operating on either kerosene or liquid hydrogen.
As a result, the working variant was adopted as a combination of an economical turbofan operating in the speed range M = 0-2,5, the second engine - RAMJET, which accelerates the aircraft to M = 20 and LRE to enter orbit (acceleration to the first cosmic speed 7,9 km / s ) and providing orbital maneuvers.
Due to the complexity of solving a set of scientific, technical and technological tasks to create a single-stage MVKS program, the program was divided into two stages: the creation of an experimental hypersonic aircraft with a flight speed of up to M = 5-6, and the development of a prototype orbital video conferencing system that provides the flight experiment flights, up to spacewalk. In addition, at the second stage of the MVKS work, it was planned to create variants of the Tu-2000B space bomber, which was designed as a two-seater aircraft with an 10000 km range and take-off weight of 350 tons. Six engines powered by liquid hydrogen were supposed to provide the speed M = 6-8 at an altitude of 30-35 km.
According to experts OKB them. A.N.Tupolev, the cost of construction of one VKS was supposed to be about 480 million dollars, in 1995 prices of the year (at a cost of OCR 5,29 billion dollars). The estimated launch cost should have been 13,6 million dollars, with the number of 20 starts per year.
For the first time, the layout of the Tu-2000 aircraft was shown at the Mosaeroshow-92 exhibition. Before the work was stopped in the 1992 year, for the Tu-2000, the following were made: the wing box made of nickel alloy, fuselage elements, cryogenic fuel tanks and composite fuel lines.
Atomic M-19
A long-standing "competitor" in strategic aircraft OKB im. Tupolev - Experimental Machine-Building Plant (now EMZ them. Myasishchev) also engaged in the development of single-stage video conferencing in the framework of research and development "Cold-2". The project was named “M-19” and included a study on the following topics:
Theme 19-1. Creation of a flying laboratory with a power plant on liquid hydrogen fuel, development of technology for work with cryogenic fuel;
Theme19-2. Design work to determine the appearance of a hypersonic aircraft;
Theme 19-3. Design work to determine the appearance of a promising video conferencing system;
Theme 19-4. Design work to determine the appearance of alternatives
Nuclear propulsion system with nuclear propulsion.
Work on the prospective VKS was carried out under the direct supervision of the General Designer V.M. Myasishchev and General Designer A.D. Tohuntsa To carry out the R & D components, joint work plans were approved with enterprises of the MAP of the USSR, including: TsAGI, CIAM, NIIAS, ITPM and many others, as well as with the Research Institute of the Academy of Sciences and the Ministry of Defense.
The appearance of the single-stage VKS M-19 was determined after studying numerous alternative aerodynamic configuration options. In terms of studies of the characteristics of a new-type power plant, scramjet models were carried out in wind tunnels at speeds corresponding to the numbers M = 3-12. To assess the future effectiveness of the VKS, mathematical models of the apparatus and the combined nuclear propulsion power plant (YARD) were also developed.
The use of VCSs with a combined nuclear propulsion system suggested enhanced possibilities for intensive exploration of both near-Earth space, including remote geostationary orbits, and deep space areas, including the Moon and near-moon space.
The presence of a nuclear installation onboard VCS would also allow it to be used as a powerful energy hub for the operation of new types of space weapons (beam, beam weapons, means of influencing climatic conditions, etc.).
Combined propulsion system (KDU) included:
The nuclear propulsion rocket engine (YARD) based on a nuclear reactor with radiation protection;
10 twin-turbojet engines (DTRDF) with heat exchangers in the internal and external circuits and afterburner;
Hypersonic ramjet engines (scramjet);
Two turbochargers to ensure the flow of hydrogen through the heat exchangers DTRDF;
Distribution node with turbopump units, heat exchangers and pipeline valves, fuel control systems.
Hydrogen was used as a fuel for DTDRDF and scramjet, it was also the working medium in the closed loop of the NRE.
In its final form, the M-19 concept looked like this: the take-off and initial acceleration of the 500-ton VKS performs as a nuclear powered aircraft with closed-cycle engines, and hydrogen serves as a coolant transferring heat from the reactor to ten turbojets. As acceleration and climb are made, hydrogen begins to flow into the afterburner chambers of the turbofan engines, and a little later into straight-through GPRVD. Finally, at an altitude of 50 km, at a flight speed of more than 16M, an atomic nuclear radiation rotor with a 320 mc thrust is activated, which provided an exit into the working orbit 185-200 altitude in kilometers. With a take-off mass of about 500 tons, the V-X M-19 had to launch into a reference orbit with an inclination of 57,3 ° a payload of about 30-40 tons.
It is necessary to note the little-known fact that when calculating the characteristics of the KDU on a turbo-ramjet, rocket-flow and hypersonic flight regimes, the results of experimental studies and calculations carried out at TsIAM, TsAGI and ITAM of the USSR Academy of Sciences were used.
Ajax "- hypersound in a new way
Work on the creation of a hypersonic aircraft was carried out in the SKB "Neva" (St. Petersburg), on the basis of which the State Scientific-Research Enterprise of hypersonic speeds was formed (now OJSC NIPGS HC "Leninets").
In NIPGS to create GLA approached a fundamentally new way. The Alax concept was launched at the end of the 80s. Vladimir Lvovich Freistadt. Its essence is that the GLA has no thermal protection (unlike most VKS and GLA). The heat flux arising during hypersonic flight is injected into the HVA to increase its energy resource. Thus, Alax GLA was an open aerothermodynamic system that converted part of the kinetic energy of the hypersonic air stream into chemical and electrical, simultaneously solving the issue of cooling the airframe. To this end, the main components of a chemical heat recovery reactor with a catalyst located under the airframe were designed.
The aircraft trim in the most thermally stressed places had a two-layer shell. Between the layers of the shell was placed a catalyst of heat-resistant material ("nickel wool"), which was a subsystem of active cooling with chemical heat recovery reactors. According to calculations, in all modes of hypersonic flight, the temperature of the elements of the airframe GLA did not exceed 800-850 ° С.
The GLA includes a direct-flow air-jet engine with supersonic combustion and a main (sustainer) engine - a magneto-plasma-chemical engine (MPCD) integrated with the airframe. MPCD was designed to control the air flow using a magnetic gas-dynamic accelerator (MHD accelerator) and generate electricity using an MHD generator. The generator had a power of up to 100 MW, which was quite enough to power a laser capable of striking various targets in near-earth orbits.
It was assumed that marching MPCD will be able to change the speed of flight in a wide range of flight Mach number. Due to the deceleration of the hypersonic flow by the magnetic field, optimal conditions were created in the supersonic combustion chamber. When tested at TsAGI, it was revealed that the hydrocarbon fuel created under the Ajax concept burns several times faster than hydrogen. The MHD accelerator could “accelerate” the products of combustion, increasing the maximum flight speed to M = 25, which guaranteed access to near-Earth orbit.
The civilian version of the hypersonic aircraft was calculated on the flight speed of 6000-12000 km / h, the flight range is up to 19000 km and the transport of 100 passengers. There is no information about the military developments of the Ajax project.
Russian concept of hypersound - rockets and PAK DA
The work carried out in the USSR and in the early years of the existence of new Russia on hypersonic technologies suggests that the original domestic methodology and scientific and technical background have been preserved and used to create Russian GLA - both in rocket and aircraft design.
In the 2004 year, during the command and staff exercises "Security 2004", the President of Russia V.V. Putin made a statement, still disturbing the minds of the "public". “Experiments and some tests were carried out ... Soon the Russian Armed Forces will receive combat complexes capable of operating at intercontinental distances, at hypersonic speed, with great accuracy, with a wide maneuver in height and direction of impact. These complexes will make any missile defense models unrealistic - existing or prospective. ”
Some domestic media have interpreted this statement to the best of their understanding. For example: “In Russia, the world's first hypersonic maneuvering rocket was developed, which was launched from a strategic Tu-160 bomber in February 2004, when command and control exercises“ Security 2004 ”were conducted
In fact, the PC-18 Stilet ballistic missile with a new combat equipment was launched at the exercises. Instead of a conventional warhead, there was a device on the PC-18 capable of changing the height and direction of flight, and thereby overcoming any anti-missile defense, including the American one. Apparently, the unit tested during the 2004 Security drills was a little-known X-90 hypersonic cruise missile (HRS) developed in the Raduga ICD at the beginning of the 1990s.
Judging by the performance characteristics of this missile, the strategic bomber Tu-160 can take on board two X-90. The rest of the characteristics look like this: the mass of the rocket is 15 tons, the main engine is the scramjet, the accelerator is the solid propellant rocket engine, the flight speed is 4-5 M, the launch height is 7000 m, the flight height is 7000-20000 m, the launch range 3000-3500 km, the number of warheads - 2, the power of the warhead - 200 CT.
In the dispute that the plane or rocket is better, the planes most often lost, since the rockets turned out to be faster and more efficient. And the plane became the carrier of cruise missiles capable of hitting targets at a distance of 2500-5000 km. Launching a rocket on the target, the strategic bomber did not enter the zone of opposing air defense, therefore it did not make sense to make it hypersonic.
"Hypersonic competition" between the aircraft and the rocket is now nearing a new denouement with a predictable result - the missiles are again ahead of the aircraft.
We estimate the situation. Armed with long-range aviation, which is part of the VKS of Russia, are the 60 turboprop Tu-95MS and 16 jet bombers Tu-160. The life of the Tu-95MS expires after 5-10 years. The Ministry of Defense decided to increase the number of Tu-160 to 40 units. Work is underway to upgrade the Tu-160. Thus, new Tu-160M will soon begin to arrive in the VKS. The Tupolev Design Bureau is also the main developer of the promising long-range aviation complex (PAK DA).
Our “probable adversary” is not sitting back, he is investing money in the development of the concept of Prompt Global Strike (PGS). The possibilities of the US military budget in terms of funding significantly exceed the capabilities of the Russian budget. The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Defense are arguing about the amount of funding for the state armament program for the period up to 2025. And we are talking not only about current expenditures for the purchase of new weapons and military equipment, but also about promising developments, which include PAK DA and GLA technologies.
In the creation of hypersonic ammunition (missiles or projectile) is not all clear. The clear advantage of hypersound is speed, short time to reach the target, high guarantee of overcoming air defense and missile defense systems. However, there are many problems - the high cost of disposable ammunition, the complexity of control when changing the flight path. These shortcomings were decisive arguments in the reduction or closure of programs on a manned hypersound, that is, hypersonic aircraft.
The problem of the high cost of ammunition can be solved by the presence on board an aircraft of a powerful computing complex for calculating the parameters of bombing (launch), which turns ordinary bombs and missiles into high-precision weapons. Similar onboard computing systems installed in the warheads of hypersonic missiles can be equated to the class of strategic precision weapons, which, according to PLA military experts, can replace ICBM complexes. The presence of strategic long-range missile airplanes will call into question the need to maintain long-range aviation as having limitations on the speed and effectiveness of combat use.
The appearance in the arsenal of any army hypersonic anti-aircraft missile (GZR) will force strategic aviation to "hide" on airfields, since the maximum distance from which bomber cruise missiles can be used, such GZR will overcome in a few minutes. Increasing the range, accuracy and maneuverability of the GZR will allow them to shoot down enemy ICBMs at any altitude, as well as to disrupt a massive raid by strategic bombers before they reach the lines of launching cruise missiles. The pilot of the “strategist” will probably detect the launch of the GZR, but it is unlikely he will be able to divert the plane from destruction.
GLA developments, which are now intensively conducted in developed countries, show that they are searching for a reliable tool (weapon) that can guaranteedly destroy the enemy’s nuclear arsenal before using nuclear weapons, as the last argument in defending state sovereignty. Hypersonic weapons can be used on the main centers of political, economic and military power of the state.
Hypersound in Russia is not forgotten, work is underway to develop missile weapons based on this technology (Sarmat ICBM, Rubezh ICBM, X-90), but to rely on only one type of weaponry (miracle weapon, ") It would at least be wrong.
There is still no clarity in the creation of the PAK YES, since the basic requirements for its intended use and combat use are still unknown. Existing strategic bombers, as components of the nuclear triad of Russia, are gradually losing their importance due to the emergence of new types of weapons, including hypersonic ones.
The course of "containment" of Russia, proclaimed the main task of NATO, is objectively capable of leading to aggression against our country, in which the North Atlantic Treaty Army will be prepared and armed with modern means. In terms of the number of personnel and armaments, NATO exceeds Russia by 5 – 10 times. A “sanitary belt” is being built around Russia, including military bases and missile defense positions. In essence, NATO-led events are described in military terms as operational training of a theater of operations (theater of operations). In this case, the main source of arms supplies remains to the United States, as was the case in the First and Second World Wars.
A hypersonic strategic bomber can, within an hour, be at any point on the globe over any military object (base) from which the supply of resources to military forces, including the "sanitary belt", is ensured. Lowly vulnerable to missile defense and air defense systems, it can destroy such objects with powerful high-precision non-nuclear weapons. The presence of such a GLA in peacetime will be an additional deterrent to supporters of global military adventures.
Civilian GLA can become a technical basis for a breakthrough in the development of intercontinental flights and space technologies. The scientific and technical background of the Tu-2000, M-19 and Ajax projects is still relevant and can be in demand.
What will be the future PAK DA - subsonic with SGKR or hypersonic with modified conventional weapons, to decide customers - the Ministry of Defense and the Government of Russia.
“Who else before the battle wins by preliminary calculation, he has a lot of chances. Who else before the battle does not win by calculation, he has little chance. Who has a lot of chances - wins. Who has little chance - does not win. Moreover, he who has no chance at all. ” / Sun Tzu, "The Art of War" /
Military expert Alexei Leonkov
Separately, I would like to note that when designing the supersonic MiG-31 interceptor aircraft engineer G.Ye. Lozino-Lozinsky used advanced materials (titanium, molybdenum, etc.) in the airframe design, which allowed the aircraft to reach a record height of manned flight (MiG-31D) and maximum speed in 7000 km / h in the upper atmosphere. In 1977, test pilot Alexander Fedotov set on his predecessor MiG-25 the absolute world record of flight altitude - 37650 meters (for comparison, the SR-71 has a maximum flight height of 25929 meters). Unfortunately, engines for flying at high altitudes in a highly rarefied atmosphere were not yet created, since these technologies were only developed in the depths of Soviet research institutes and design bureaus as part of numerous experimental studies.
A new stage in the development of hypersound technology was research projects to create aerospace systems that combined the capabilities of aviation (aerobatics and maneuver, landing on the runway) and spacecraft (going into orbit, orbital flight, descending from orbit). In the USSR and the USA, these programs have worked partly, revealing the space orbital aircraft Buran and the Space Shuttle to the world.
Why partially? The fact is that the launch of the aircraft into orbit was carried out with the help of a launch vehicle. The cost of the withdrawal was enormous, about 450 million dollars (according to the Space Shuttle program), which was several times higher than the cost of the most expensive civilian and military aircraft, did not allow the orbital plane to make a mass product. The need to invest gigantic funds in the creation of infrastructure that provides ultra-fast intercontinental flights (space centers, flight control centers, fuel filling complexes) has finally buried the prospect of passenger traffic.
The only customer, at least somehow interested in hypersonic devices, remained the military. True, this interest was episodic. The military programs of the USSR and the USA for the creation of aerospace aircraft proceeded along different paths. Still, they were most consistently implemented in the USSR: from the project to create a PKA (planning spacecraft) to MAKS (multipurpose aviation space system) and Buran a consistent and uninterrupted chain of scientific and technical groundwork was built, on the basis of which the foundation of future experimental flights prototypes of hypersonic aircraft.
Rocket design bureaus continued to improve their ICBMs. With the advent of modern air defense systems and missile defense systems capable of shooting down combat units of ICBMs at a great distance, they began to place new demands on the striking elements of ballistic missiles. The warheads of the new ICBM were to overcome the enemy's air and missile defense. So there appeared combat units capable of overcoming A / C at hypersonic speeds (M = 5-6).
The development of hypersonic technology for combat units (warheads) of ICBMs allowed the launch of several projects to create defense and offensive hypersonic weapons - Kinetic (railgun), dynamic (cruise missiles) and space (impact from orbit).
The revitalization of geopolitical rivalry between the United States and Russia and China reanimated the topic of hypersound as a promising tool capable of providing an advantage in the field of space and rocket-aircraft weapons. The increased interest in these technologies is also due to the concept of causing maximum damage to the enemy with conventional (non-nuclear) weapons, which is actually implemented by NATO countries led by the United States.
Indeed, if the military commanders have at least a hundred non-nuclear hypersonic devices that easily overcome existing air defense and missile defense systems, this “last argument of the kings” directly affects the strategic balance between the nuclear powers. Moreover, in the future, a hypersonic rocket can destroy elements of strategic nuclear forces both from the air and from space within a period of not more than an hour from the moment of the decision to the moment of hitting the target. It is this ideology embedded in the American military program Prompt Global Strike (quick global strike).
Is such a program feasible in practice? The arguments “for” and “against” were divided approximately equally. Let's figure it out.
American program Prompt Global Strike
the concept of Prompt Global Strike (PGS) was adopted in the 2000s at the initiative of the command of the US Armed Forces. Its key element is the ability to deliver a non-nuclear strike anywhere in the world within 60 minutes after a decision is made. Work within the framework of this concept is being carried out simultaneously in several directions.
First direction pgs, and the most realistic from a technical point of view, was the use of ICBMs with high-precision non-nuclear warheads, including cluster ones, which are equipped with a set of self-guided sub-munitions. As a test of this direction, the sea-based ICBM Trident II D5 was selected, delivering striking elements to the maximum range of 11300 kilometers. At this time, work is underway to reduce the QUO warheads to values in 60-90 meters.
The second direction is PGS selected strategic hypersonic cruise missiles (SGCR). Within the framework of the adopted concept, the X-51A Waverider (SED-WR) subprogram is being implemented. On the initiative of the US Air Force and the support of DARPA, since 2001, the development of a hypersonic missile has been carried out by Pratt & Whitney and Boeing.
The first result of the ongoing work should be the emergence of a technology demonstrator with an installed hypersonic ramjet engine by 2020 year. According to experts, the SGCR with this engine can have the following parameters: flight speed M = 7 – 8, maximum flight range 1300-1800 km, flight altitude 10-30 km.
In May 2007, after a detailed review of the progress of work on the X-51A WaveRider, military customers approved the rocket design. Experimental SGCB Boeing X-51A WaveRider is a classic cruise missile with the ventral scramjet and four-console tail unit. The materials and the thickness of the passive thermal protection were selected in accordance with the calculated estimates of the heat fluxes. The nose module of the rocket is made of tungsten with a silicon coating, which withstands kinetic heating to 1500 ° C. On the lower surface of the rocket, where temperatures up to 830 ° C are expected, ceramic tiles are used that were developed by Boeing for the Space Shuttle program. The X-51A rocket must meet high requirements for low visibility (EPR no more than 0,01 m 2). To accelerate the product to a speed corresponding to M = 5, it is planned to install a solid-fuel tandem rocket booster.
As the main carrier SGKR it is supposed to use planes of strategic aircraft of the USA. So far there is no information on how these missiles will be placed - under the wing or inside the fuselage of the “strategist”.
PGS 3 are programs to create systems of kinetic weapons, hitting targets from the orbit of the Earth. The Americans calculated in detail the results of the combat use of a tungsten rod about 6 meters in length and 30 cm in diameter, dropped from orbit and hitting a ground object at a speed of about 3500 m / s. According to calculations, energy equivalent to the 12 tonnes of trinitrotoluene (trotyl) is released at the meeting point.
The theoretical justification launched projects of two hypersonic vehicles (Falcon HTV-2 and AHW), which will be launched into orbit by launch vehicles and in combat mode will be able to plan in the atmosphere with increasing speed when approaching the target. While these developments are at the stage of preliminary design and experimental start-ups. The main problematic issues are still basing systems in space (space groups and combat platforms), high-precision targeting systems and securing launching into orbit (any launch and orbital objects are opened by Russian missile attack warning and space control systems). The Americans are hoping to solve the stealth problem after the 2019 year, with the launch of a reusable aerospace system that will put the payload into orbit "on an aircraft" through two stages - carrier aircraft (based on Boeing 747) and unmanned space aircraft (based on prototype apparatus X-37В).
Fourth direction pgs is a program to create an unmanned hypersonic reconnaissance aircraft based on the famous Lockheed Martin SR-71 Blackbird.
The Lockheed division, Skunk Works, is currently developing a promising UAV under the working name SR-72, which should be twice the maximum speed of the SR-71, reaching values around M = 6.
The development of a hypersonic scout is fully justified. First, the SR-72, due to its colossal speed, will be low vulnerable for air defense systems. Secondly, it will fill in the “gaps” in the work of satellites, promptly extracting strategic information and detecting mobile ICBM complexes, ships connections, and groupings of enemy forces in the theater of operations.
Two variants of the SR-72 aircraft, manned and unmanned, are being considered, and its use as a strike bomber, carrier of precision weapons, is also not excluded. Most likely, lightweight missiles without a main engine can be used as weapons, since they are not needed when launched at speed in 6 M. The weight released is likely to be used to increase the power of the CU. The flight prototype of the Lockheed Martin aircraft is scheduled to show in 2023 year.
Chinese project hypersonic aircraft DF-ZF
27 April 2016, the American edition of the Washington Free Beacon, citing sources at the Pentagon, reported to the world about the seventh test of a hypersonic Chinese aircraft DZ-ZF. The aircraft was launched from the Taiyuan Cosmodrome (Shanxi Province). According to the newspaper, the plane made maneuvers at speeds from 6400 to 11200 km / h, and fell at the test site in Western China.
“According to the intelligence of the United States, China plans to use a hypersonic aircraft as a means of delivering nuclear weapons capable of overcoming missile defense systems,” the publication noted. “DZ-ZF can also be used as a weapon capable of destroying a target anywhere in the world within an hour.”
According to the analysis conducted by the US intelligence of the entire test series, the launches of the hypersonic aircraft were carried out by short-range ballistic missiles DF-15 and DF-16 (range up to 1000 km), as well as medium-range DF-21 (range 1800 km). Further testing of launches on the DF-31А ICBMs (11200 km range) was not excluded. According to the test program, the following is known: separating from the carrier in the upper layers of the atmosphere, the apparatus of a cone-shaped form with acceleration planned down and maneuvered on the trajectory of the exit to the target.
Despite numerous publications by foreign media that the Chinese hypersonic aircraft (GLA) is intended to destroy American aircraft carriers, Chinese military experts were skeptical of such statements. They pointed to the well-known fact that the supersonic speed of a GLA creates a plasma cloud around the vehicle, which interferes with the operation of the on-board radar during course adjustment and aiming at such a moving target as an aircraft carrier.
As stated in an interview with China Daily by the professor of the PLA Rocket Forces Command College, Colonel Shao Yonglin: “The super high speed and range makes it (GLA) an excellent means of destroying ground targets. In the future, it can replace intercontinental ballistic missiles. ”
According to the report of the relevant committee of the US Congress, the DZ-ZF can be adopted by the PLA in the 2020 year, and its improved long-range version - by the 2025 year.
Scientific and technical background of Russia - hypersonic aircraft
Hypersonic Tu-2000
In the USSR, work on a hypersonic aircraft began in the Tupolev Design Bureau in the middle of the 1970-s, based on the Tu-144 production passenger aircraft. Conducted research and design of the aircraft, capable of speeds up to M = 6 (TU-260) and flight range to 12000 km, as well as hypersonic intercontinental aircraft TU-360. Its flight distance was to reach 16000 km. It was even prepared a draft passenger hypersonic aircraft Tu-244, designed to fly at an altitude of 28-32 km with a speed of M = 4,5-5.
In February, 1986 in the United States began research and development to create an X-30 spaceplane with an air-jet power plant capable of going into orbit in a single-stage version. The National Aerospace Plane (NASP) project was notable for an abundance of new technologies, the key of which was a dual-mode hypersonic ramjet engine, allowing to fly at speeds of M = 25. According to information obtained by the USSR intelligence service, the NASP was worked out for civil and military purposes.
The response to the development of the transatmospheric X-30 (NASP) was the resolution of the USSR government of 27 in January and 19 in July of 1986 on the creation of the equivalent of the American aerospace plane (VCS). 1 September 1986, the Ministry of Defense issued a technical task for a single-stage reusable aerospace aircraft (MVKS). According to this technical assignment, MVKS was supposed to ensure efficient and economical delivery of cargo to near-earth orbit, high-speed trans-atmospheric intercontinental transportation, and the solution of military tasks both in the atmosphere and in near space. Of the works submitted to the competition, the Tupolev Design Bureau, the Yakovlev Design Bureau and NPO Energia approved the Tu-2000 project.
As a result of preliminary studies under the MVKS program, the power plant was selected on the basis of proven and proven solutions. Existing jet engines (WFD) using atmospheric air had temperature limitations, they were used on aircraft whose speed did not exceed M = 3, and rocket engines had to carry a large amount of fuel on board and were not suitable for long flights in the atmosphere . Therefore, an important decision was made - that the aircraft could fly at supersonic speeds and at all altitudes, its engines should have the features of both aviation and space technology.
It turned out that the most rational for a hypersonic aircraft is a ramjet engine (ramjet), which has no rotating parts, in combination with a turbojet (TRD) engine for acceleration. It was assumed that for flights with hypersonic speeds, the ramjet on liquid hydrogen is most suitable. A booster engine is a turbojet engine operating on either kerosene or liquid hydrogen.
As a result, the working variant was adopted as a combination of an economical turbofan operating in the speed range M = 0-2,5, the second engine - RAMJET, which accelerates the aircraft to M = 20 and LRE to enter orbit (acceleration to the first cosmic speed 7,9 km / s ) and providing orbital maneuvers.
Due to the complexity of solving a set of scientific, technical and technological tasks to create a single-stage MVKS program, the program was divided into two stages: the creation of an experimental hypersonic aircraft with a flight speed of up to M = 5-6, and the development of a prototype orbital video conferencing system that provides the flight experiment flights, up to spacewalk. In addition, at the second stage of the MVKS work, it was planned to create variants of the Tu-2000B space bomber, which was designed as a two-seater aircraft with an 10000 km range and take-off weight of 350 tons. Six engines powered by liquid hydrogen were supposed to provide the speed M = 6-8 at an altitude of 30-35 km.
According to experts OKB them. A.N.Tupolev, the cost of construction of one VKS was supposed to be about 480 million dollars, in 1995 prices of the year (at a cost of OCR 5,29 billion dollars). The estimated launch cost should have been 13,6 million dollars, with the number of 20 starts per year.
For the first time, the layout of the Tu-2000 aircraft was shown at the Mosaeroshow-92 exhibition. Before the work was stopped in the 1992 year, for the Tu-2000, the following were made: the wing box made of nickel alloy, fuselage elements, cryogenic fuel tanks and composite fuel lines.
Atomic M-19
A long-standing "competitor" in strategic aircraft OKB im. Tupolev - Experimental Machine-Building Plant (now EMZ them. Myasishchev) also engaged in the development of single-stage video conferencing in the framework of research and development "Cold-2". The project was named “M-19” and included a study on the following topics:
Theme 19-1. Creation of a flying laboratory with a power plant on liquid hydrogen fuel, development of technology for work with cryogenic fuel;
Theme19-2. Design work to determine the appearance of a hypersonic aircraft;
Theme 19-3. Design work to determine the appearance of a promising video conferencing system;
Theme 19-4. Design work to determine the appearance of alternatives
Nuclear propulsion system with nuclear propulsion.
Work on the prospective VKS was carried out under the direct supervision of the General Designer V.M. Myasishchev and General Designer A.D. Tohuntsa To carry out the R & D components, joint work plans were approved with enterprises of the MAP of the USSR, including: TsAGI, CIAM, NIIAS, ITPM and many others, as well as with the Research Institute of the Academy of Sciences and the Ministry of Defense.
The appearance of the single-stage VKS M-19 was determined after studying numerous alternative aerodynamic configuration options. In terms of studies of the characteristics of a new-type power plant, scramjet models were carried out in wind tunnels at speeds corresponding to the numbers M = 3-12. To assess the future effectiveness of the VKS, mathematical models of the apparatus and the combined nuclear propulsion power plant (YARD) were also developed.
The use of VCSs with a combined nuclear propulsion system suggested enhanced possibilities for intensive exploration of both near-Earth space, including remote geostationary orbits, and deep space areas, including the Moon and near-moon space.
The presence of a nuclear installation onboard VCS would also allow it to be used as a powerful energy hub for the operation of new types of space weapons (beam, beam weapons, means of influencing climatic conditions, etc.).
Combined propulsion system (KDU) included:
The nuclear propulsion rocket engine (YARD) based on a nuclear reactor with radiation protection;
10 twin-turbojet engines (DTRDF) with heat exchangers in the internal and external circuits and afterburner;
Hypersonic ramjet engines (scramjet);
Two turbochargers to ensure the flow of hydrogen through the heat exchangers DTRDF;
Distribution node with turbopump units, heat exchangers and pipeline valves, fuel control systems.
Hydrogen was used as a fuel for DTDRDF and scramjet, it was also the working medium in the closed loop of the NRE.
In its final form, the M-19 concept looked like this: the take-off and initial acceleration of the 500-ton VKS performs as a nuclear powered aircraft with closed-cycle engines, and hydrogen serves as a coolant transferring heat from the reactor to ten turbojets. As acceleration and climb are made, hydrogen begins to flow into the afterburner chambers of the turbofan engines, and a little later into straight-through GPRVD. Finally, at an altitude of 50 km, at a flight speed of more than 16M, an atomic nuclear radiation rotor with a 320 mc thrust is activated, which provided an exit into the working orbit 185-200 altitude in kilometers. With a take-off mass of about 500 tons, the V-X M-19 had to launch into a reference orbit with an inclination of 57,3 ° a payload of about 30-40 tons.
It is necessary to note the little-known fact that when calculating the characteristics of the KDU on a turbo-ramjet, rocket-flow and hypersonic flight regimes, the results of experimental studies and calculations carried out at TsIAM, TsAGI and ITAM of the USSR Academy of Sciences were used.
Ajax "- hypersound in a new way
Work on the creation of a hypersonic aircraft was carried out in the SKB "Neva" (St. Petersburg), on the basis of which the State Scientific-Research Enterprise of hypersonic speeds was formed (now OJSC NIPGS HC "Leninets").
In NIPGS to create GLA approached a fundamentally new way. The Alax concept was launched at the end of the 80s. Vladimir Lvovich Freistadt. Its essence is that the GLA has no thermal protection (unlike most VKS and GLA). The heat flux arising during hypersonic flight is injected into the HVA to increase its energy resource. Thus, Alax GLA was an open aerothermodynamic system that converted part of the kinetic energy of the hypersonic air stream into chemical and electrical, simultaneously solving the issue of cooling the airframe. To this end, the main components of a chemical heat recovery reactor with a catalyst located under the airframe were designed.
The aircraft trim in the most thermally stressed places had a two-layer shell. Between the layers of the shell was placed a catalyst of heat-resistant material ("nickel wool"), which was a subsystem of active cooling with chemical heat recovery reactors. According to calculations, in all modes of hypersonic flight, the temperature of the elements of the airframe GLA did not exceed 800-850 ° С.
The GLA includes a direct-flow air-jet engine with supersonic combustion and a main (sustainer) engine - a magneto-plasma-chemical engine (MPCD) integrated with the airframe. MPCD was designed to control the air flow using a magnetic gas-dynamic accelerator (MHD accelerator) and generate electricity using an MHD generator. The generator had a power of up to 100 MW, which was quite enough to power a laser capable of striking various targets in near-earth orbits.
It was assumed that marching MPCD will be able to change the speed of flight in a wide range of flight Mach number. Due to the deceleration of the hypersonic flow by the magnetic field, optimal conditions were created in the supersonic combustion chamber. When tested at TsAGI, it was revealed that the hydrocarbon fuel created under the Ajax concept burns several times faster than hydrogen. The MHD accelerator could “accelerate” the products of combustion, increasing the maximum flight speed to M = 25, which guaranteed access to near-Earth orbit.
The civilian version of the hypersonic aircraft was calculated on the flight speed of 6000-12000 km / h, the flight range is up to 19000 km and the transport of 100 passengers. There is no information about the military developments of the Ajax project.
Russian concept of hypersound - rockets and PAK DA
The work carried out in the USSR and in the early years of the existence of new Russia on hypersonic technologies suggests that the original domestic methodology and scientific and technical background have been preserved and used to create Russian GLA - both in rocket and aircraft design.
In the 2004 year, during the command and staff exercises "Security 2004", the President of Russia V.V. Putin made a statement, still disturbing the minds of the "public". “Experiments and some tests were carried out ... Soon the Russian Armed Forces will receive combat complexes capable of operating at intercontinental distances, at hypersonic speed, with great accuracy, with a wide maneuver in height and direction of impact. These complexes will make any missile defense models unrealistic - existing or prospective. ”
Some domestic media have interpreted this statement to the best of their understanding. For example: “In Russia, the world's first hypersonic maneuvering rocket was developed, which was launched from a strategic Tu-160 bomber in February 2004, when command and control exercises“ Security 2004 ”were conducted
In fact, the PC-18 Stilet ballistic missile with a new combat equipment was launched at the exercises. Instead of a conventional warhead, there was a device on the PC-18 capable of changing the height and direction of flight, and thereby overcoming any anti-missile defense, including the American one. Apparently, the unit tested during the 2004 Security drills was a little-known X-90 hypersonic cruise missile (HRS) developed in the Raduga ICD at the beginning of the 1990s.
Judging by the performance characteristics of this missile, the strategic bomber Tu-160 can take on board two X-90. The rest of the characteristics look like this: the mass of the rocket is 15 tons, the main engine is the scramjet, the accelerator is the solid propellant rocket engine, the flight speed is 4-5 M, the launch height is 7000 m, the flight height is 7000-20000 m, the launch range 3000-3500 km, the number of warheads - 2, the power of the warhead - 200 CT.
In the dispute that the plane or rocket is better, the planes most often lost, since the rockets turned out to be faster and more efficient. And the plane became the carrier of cruise missiles capable of hitting targets at a distance of 2500-5000 km. Launching a rocket on the target, the strategic bomber did not enter the zone of opposing air defense, therefore it did not make sense to make it hypersonic.
"Hypersonic competition" between the aircraft and the rocket is now nearing a new denouement with a predictable result - the missiles are again ahead of the aircraft.
We estimate the situation. Armed with long-range aviation, which is part of the VKS of Russia, are the 60 turboprop Tu-95MS and 16 jet bombers Tu-160. The life of the Tu-95MS expires after 5-10 years. The Ministry of Defense decided to increase the number of Tu-160 to 40 units. Work is underway to upgrade the Tu-160. Thus, new Tu-160M will soon begin to arrive in the VKS. The Tupolev Design Bureau is also the main developer of the promising long-range aviation complex (PAK DA).
Our “probable adversary” is not sitting back, he is investing money in the development of the concept of Prompt Global Strike (PGS). The possibilities of the US military budget in terms of funding significantly exceed the capabilities of the Russian budget. The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Defense are arguing about the amount of funding for the state armament program for the period up to 2025. And we are talking not only about current expenditures for the purchase of new weapons and military equipment, but also about promising developments, which include PAK DA and GLA technologies.
In the creation of hypersonic ammunition (missiles or projectile) is not all clear. The clear advantage of hypersound is speed, short time to reach the target, high guarantee of overcoming air defense and missile defense systems. However, there are many problems - the high cost of disposable ammunition, the complexity of control when changing the flight path. These shortcomings were decisive arguments in the reduction or closure of programs on a manned hypersound, that is, hypersonic aircraft.
The problem of the high cost of ammunition can be solved by the presence on board an aircraft of a powerful computing complex for calculating the parameters of bombing (launch), which turns ordinary bombs and missiles into high-precision weapons. Similar onboard computing systems installed in the warheads of hypersonic missiles can be equated to the class of strategic precision weapons, which, according to PLA military experts, can replace ICBM complexes. The presence of strategic long-range missile airplanes will call into question the need to maintain long-range aviation as having limitations on the speed and effectiveness of combat use.
The appearance in the arsenal of any army hypersonic anti-aircraft missile (GZR) will force strategic aviation to "hide" on airfields, since the maximum distance from which bomber cruise missiles can be used, such GZR will overcome in a few minutes. Increasing the range, accuracy and maneuverability of the GZR will allow them to shoot down enemy ICBMs at any altitude, as well as to disrupt a massive raid by strategic bombers before they reach the lines of launching cruise missiles. The pilot of the “strategist” will probably detect the launch of the GZR, but it is unlikely he will be able to divert the plane from destruction.
GLA developments, which are now intensively conducted in developed countries, show that they are searching for a reliable tool (weapon) that can guaranteedly destroy the enemy’s nuclear arsenal before using nuclear weapons, as the last argument in defending state sovereignty. Hypersonic weapons can be used on the main centers of political, economic and military power of the state.
Hypersound in Russia is not forgotten, work is underway to develop missile weapons based on this technology (Sarmat ICBM, Rubezh ICBM, X-90), but to rely on only one type of weaponry (miracle weapon, ") It would at least be wrong.
There is still no clarity in the creation of the PAK YES, since the basic requirements for its intended use and combat use are still unknown. Existing strategic bombers, as components of the nuclear triad of Russia, are gradually losing their importance due to the emergence of new types of weapons, including hypersonic ones.
The course of "containment" of Russia, proclaimed the main task of NATO, is objectively capable of leading to aggression against our country, in which the North Atlantic Treaty Army will be prepared and armed with modern means. In terms of the number of personnel and armaments, NATO exceeds Russia by 5 – 10 times. A “sanitary belt” is being built around Russia, including military bases and missile defense positions. In essence, NATO-led events are described in military terms as operational training of a theater of operations (theater of operations). In this case, the main source of arms supplies remains to the United States, as was the case in the First and Second World Wars.
A hypersonic strategic bomber can, within an hour, be at any point on the globe over any military object (base) from which the supply of resources to military forces, including the "sanitary belt", is ensured. Lowly vulnerable to missile defense and air defense systems, it can destroy such objects with powerful high-precision non-nuclear weapons. The presence of such a GLA in peacetime will be an additional deterrent to supporters of global military adventures.
Civilian GLA can become a technical basis for a breakthrough in the development of intercontinental flights and space technologies. The scientific and technical background of the Tu-2000, M-19 and Ajax projects is still relevant and can be in demand.
What will be the future PAK DA - subsonic with SGKR or hypersonic with modified conventional weapons, to decide customers - the Ministry of Defense and the Government of Russia.
“Who else before the battle wins by preliminary calculation, he has a lot of chances. Who else before the battle does not win by calculation, he has little chance. Who has a lot of chances - wins. Who has little chance - does not win. Moreover, he who has no chance at all. ” / Sun Tzu, "The Art of War" /
Military expert Alexei Leonkov
Information