X-51A missile tests: attempts to upgrade the US nuclear missile arsenal

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X-51A missile tests: attempts to upgrade the US nuclear missile arsenal

The United States continues to make attempts to keep up with Russia in terms of creating a hypersonic weapons... Various options are being developed, including aircraft-based versions. These include the X-51A Waverider, which is being developed by the Boeing Corporation.

This missile, as evidenced by the data on the plans of the American military department, should in the future develop a speed of about Mach 7. At the same time, the Americans still have obvious problems in this regard, which the manufacturer cannot fix in any way. During the tests, the rocket somehow managed to "accelerate" to 5 with a low speed of sound, but new problems arose with flight stability. Bringing the aircraft-based missile to the target characteristics continues.



At the same time, the United States is already planning to supply prototypes of its hypersonic weapons (and not only hypersonic ones) with nuclear warheads. This is a clear increase in the number of tactical nuclear weapons. It is important to recall that the US Air Force also stores its tactical nuclear bombs in NATO countries. First of all, these are the Ramstein bases in Germany and Incirlik in Turkey.

How the United States is developing its nuclear-missile (tactical) arsenal is described in the first part of the Hidden Threats plot with N. Chindyaykin (TK Zvezda):

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    1. +4
      3 March 2021 14: 06
      I thought this project was already in its grave ...
      1. +4
        3 March 2021 14: 12
        At the same time, the Americans in this regard so far obvious problems that the manufacturer cannot fix in any way.

        When it appears in service - then there will be a conversation, now it is premature to discuss what is not!
        1. +3
          3 March 2021 15: 07
          I'm embarrassed to ask, and Zircon is already in service on what carriers and in what quantity?
    2. +6
      3 March 2021 14: 14
      1 May 2013 Years X-51 performed its first fully successful flight tests in the fourth test flight. The X-51 and the launch vehicle separated from the B-52H and were powered by the launch vehicle to Mach 4,8 (3200 mph; 5100 km / h). It then detached itself cleanly from the launch vehicle and turned on its own engine. The test aircraft then accelerated to Mach 5,1 (3400 mph; 5400 km / h) and flew for 210 seconds, until it ran out of fuel and plunged into the Pacific Ocean at Cape Mugu for more than six minutes total flight time; this test was the longest running ramjet hypersonic aircraft.

      Keep up? Do we have a hypersonic ramjet rocket in service? Or, perhaps, also only trials?
      X-51A is more than 10 years old, as far as I understand it is already closed. Now they are forced to test other hypersonic missiles, including those with a scramjet engine.
      Gliders have long been what we have, what they have.
      1. +2
        3 March 2021 14: 29
        And what kind of gliders do they have (something I missed or forgot)?
      2. -1
        3 March 2021 14: 45
        Quote: Wikipedia
        According to the project,
        X-51A should reach a maximum speed of about
        6-7 M
        [1] (6500-7500 km / h).
        On May 1, 2013, the United States conducted a successful missile test over the Pacific Ocean. [8] [9] It was launched from a B-52 aircraft taking off from Edwards Air Base and reached an altitude of 18200 meters, where it developed a speed corresponding to Mach 5,1. The flight lasted for six minutes, during which the rocket flew a distance of 426 kilometers. This test flight proved to be the longest and most successful of all.

        Quote: OgnennyiKotik
        On May 1, 2013, the X-51 performed its first fully successful flight tests in the fourth test flight. The X-51 and booster were detached from the B-52H and were powered by the booster up to Mach 4,8 (3200 mph; 5100 km / h (note: hypersonic speed is the speed from 6135 km / h and higher). Then he cleanly separated from ...

        OgnennyiKotik - no need to write not quite the truth about fuel, X-51 did not reach hypersonic speed, so there was a message about the closure of the project and in order to keep up with Russia now - again the projects are unfrozen. About the end of fuel - this is not true, there were obviously other serious problems. Otherwise, the X-51 would have been in service for a long time. Give the link to your material.
        1. 0
          3 March 2021 15: 07
          Quote: OgnennyiKotik
          ... Then the test aircraft accelerated to Mach 5,1 (3400 mph; 5400 km / h) and flew for 210 seconds, until the fuel ran out and he plunged into the Pacific Ocean at Cape Mugu for more than six minutes of the total flight time ...

          Sorry, I inserted the wrong piece of the paragraph, and still 5400 km / h is not hypersonic speed ...
        2. +3
          3 March 2021 15: 14
          Well, in all conscience, what is hung under the MiG-31 is also an "ersatz" rocket and a full-fledged project was only in the days of the USSR "Koala".
    3. +1
      4 March 2021 13: 50
      They propose to watch the "icteric" program ... survived.
      how many "... wonderful discoveries"
    4. +4
      6 March 2021 17: 41
      Quote: Dread
      Quote: OgnennyiKotik
      ... Then the test aircraft accelerated to Mach 5,1 (3400 mph; 5400 km / h) and flew for 210 seconds, until the fuel ran out and he plunged into the Pacific Ocean at Cape Mugu for more than six minutes of the total flight time ...

      Sorry, I inserted the wrong piece of the paragraph, and still 5400 km / h is not hypersonic speed ...

      Hypersonic. The speed of 5400 km / h is 1500 m / s. If divided by the speed of sound, you get 5,083M. Slightly, but above the 5M hypersonic speed limit
      1. -3
        April 2 2021 09: 56
        Quote: Old26
        Quote: Dread
        Sorry, I inserted the wrong piece of the paragraph, and still 5400 km / h is not hypersonic speed ...

        Hypersonic. The speed of 5400 km / h is 1500 m / s. If divided by the speed of sound, you get 5,083M. Slightly, but above the 5M hypersonic speed limit

        Old26 - if you do not know such basic knowledge, then do not write. It is ugly to show your childish illiteracy in this matter!
        It is generally accepted that hypersonic speed is the speed above 5M... She makes 6150 - 12300 km / h
        (1710 - 3415 m / s)
        .
        https://aif.ru/dontknows/eternal/kakaya_skorost_v_km_ch_u_giperzvuka
    5. +9
      9 March 2021 07: 10
      This is a normal process for modernizing weapons.
    6. +1
      April 2 2021 13: 53
      Quote: Dread
      Old26 - if you do not know such basic knowledge, then do not write. It is ugly to show your childish illiteracy in this matter!
      It is generally accepted that hypersonic speed is above 5M. It is 6150 - 12300 km / h
      (1710 - 3415 m / s).
      https://aif.ru/dontknows/eternal/kakaya_skorost_v_km_ch_u_giperzvuka

      Dear Dread! The one who does not have elementary knowledge and shows childish illiteracy is you, I beg your pardon for being straightforward.
      You, forgive me, as a schoolboy who just started studying physics and knows that the speed of sound is 340 m / s, and you follow the line of least resistance. Once again I apologize for being straightforward.
      The speed (maximum) developed by the X-51A is 5400 km / h or 1500 m / s. And then everything is very simple. Divide 1500 m / s by the speed of sound at an altitude of 18 km, where this rocket flew - 295,063 m / s and you get 5,0837M. Alas, this one already HyperSound Speed... You simply forget that the speed of sound changes with height. And at an altitude of 18 km, it is not 340,1 m / s, as in all your calculations, but alas, 295,063 m / s
      1. -2
        April 2 2021 22: 07
        Quote: Old26
        Divide 1500 m / s by the speed of sound at an altitude of 18 km, where this rocket flew - 295,063 m / s and you get 5,0837M. Alas, this is already HYPERSONIC SPEED. You simply forget that the speed of sound changes with height. And at an altitude of 18 km, it is not 340,1 m / s, as in all your calculations, but alas, 295,063 m / s

        Old26, it's ugly to write a lie. You can't read what is written below? And on different sites. And don't lie openly. A word above 5M, you cannot distinguish the speed of 1500 m / s from the speed of 1710 m / s - then this is a difficult case ...
        It is generally accepted that HYPERSONIC SPEED is a SPEED ABOVE 5M. It is 6150 - 12300 km / h
        (1710 - 3415 m / s).
        https://aif.ru/dontknows/eternal/kakaya_skorost_v_km_ch_u_giperzvuka

        Quote: Old26
        And at an altitude of 18 km, it is not 340,1 m / s, as in all your calculations, but alas, 295,063 m / s

        Old26, you are a liar, I never used the M number in my calculations, I showed the speed in km / h. You must be able to admit your mistakes and stupidity, which you regularly write on VO ... Shame! You are still trying to slander others insolently!

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