Hypersonic prototypes of the United States
In mid-November this year, the United States conducted regular tests of hypersonic weapons. According to the designers, the tests were successful.
Hypersonic aircraft are devices capable of developing a speed of more than five M (1M = 1.1-1.2 thousands of km / h). Hypersonic devices are able to carry out dynamic planning over long distances while maintaining the acquired speed.
Project falkon
Since 2003, in the United States, according to the advanced defense research and development program "DARPA", design and testing work has been carried out to create a hypersonic aircraft. The project was named "Falkon".
About a dozen companies took contracts worth about half a million dollars each. In 2004, within the framework of DARPA, contracts were received by well-known corporations - Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co, Andrews Space Inc and Northrop Grumman Corp. According to contracts worth more than a million dollars each, the corporations were to design a hypersonic transport aircraft.
Before the project was delivered:
- construction of a transport platform capable of developing hypersonic speed and carrying hyper-missiles or cruise missiles. The platform may be used for non-military purposes;
- building a prototype of Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 1. Tests canceled;
- building Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2. Tests are underway;
- building Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 3. The project is frozen. There are unofficial data that, in connection with the tests that took place in November, the work was resumed;
- building a compact SLV carrier and engine for designing X-41 CAV.
The main task is to create a new “Hypersonic Cruise Vehicle” rocket, which has the ability to fly about 20 thousands of kilometers in 120 minutes. The goal is delivery to the target of the main unit (executed as the head of a missile - warhead) weighing up to 6 tons. Flight speed around 20 M, the flight should take place at high altitudes.
The tests are carried out according to the following scheme: the prototype is raised to a high altitude by a carrier or aircraft and launched into horizontal flight. Then the prototype gains hypersonic speed, at a given point the aircraft is detached, which begins a dynamic flight while maintaining a given speed. The aircraft has a delta wing. There is practically no data on the design, photographs of which fill the Internet. It is not known for sure whether the prototypes are similar to the photographs and drawings.
The volunteer
The company "Boeing" presented its development - the X-51A "Waverider" flying object. Created 4 prototype of this project.
According to the technical requirements for the project, the Kh-51A must have a speed rating of Mach 7. After all tests have been completed, a decision will be made on the fate of the Kh-51A hypersonic missile.
Prototypes are built disposable. After testing, the rocket does not recover.
The first successful tests took place at the end of May last year. The B-52 aircraft with the X-51A on board rose to an altitude of 15 meters and separated the product. The X-000A, using rocket boosters, climbed almost 51 meters and had a speed of 20 Mach, the missile overcame the speed indicator of 000 Mach at a distance of 4.8 meters above sea level.
After reaching 5M, the Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne hypersonic engine was turned on, which worked for 110 seconds, after which there was a malfunction. However, the engine continued to work until it completely failed at 143 seconds into the flight. The X-6A rocket was unable to reach 51Mach. The designers quickly stated that the rocket was supposed to reach 5Mach during the tests, and reaching 6Mach was not the result.
The tests as a result were considered successful, and the result is the best for this time.
But still the flight was planned on the hyperdrive for about 4 minutes. After the perfect flight, it was revealed that the product could not accelerate as planned, quickly overheated and minor failures occurred when transmitting information to the ground.
The next tests were held in mid-June of this year. The engine failures were repeated, and the engine could not be restored. The tests were considered unsuccessful. Work is underway to identify engine failures. The date of the next tests is unknown.
Failure leads to success.
The first flight of the Falcon HTV-2 prototype took place at the end of April of this year. The flight was carried out using the carrier Minotaur IV, which is the conversion version of the ICBM MX. It was expected that the product would fly over 30 minutes over 7.5 thousands of kilometers. The trials failed.
According to available data, Minotaur IV brought the product to the calculated height and dispersed to 20M, it is about 23 000 km / h. After that, all communication with the product was lost. Presumably, there was a violation of stabilization, which led to destruction upon entering the dense atmosphere.
The following test takes place in August 2011. The prototype takes into account the errors of the first test. The prototype is successfully separated from the carrier when 20M and goes to the dynamic planning. However, overheating of the product begins here, and after 540 seconds the product loses its stabilization, which ultimately led to the team for self-destruction. Tests are considered unsuccessful.
And finally, on November 17, the third Falcon HTV-2 trials take place. The prototype 3.7 flew thousands of kilometers in about half an hour and fell into the water in a given area. The tests are fully successful.
Additional Information.
Some consider the Falcon HTV-2 to be a planning bomb, but in reality it’s rather a warhead with a number of improvements for planning. Perhaps we will soon hear the United States, following Russia, announcing the presence of ICBMs with hypersonic warheads and other solutions using hypersonic capabilities.
On November 22, the head of the Russian military department stated at a board meeting of the military council that the VKO being created in Russia will cope with any missiles, including hypersonic ones. Russia began to declare the presence of hypersonic warheads in 2005.
Hypersonic aircraft are devices capable of developing a speed of more than five M (1M = 1.1-1.2 thousands of km / h). Hypersonic devices are able to carry out dynamic planning over long distances while maintaining the acquired speed.
Project falkon
Since 2003, in the United States, according to the advanced defense research and development program "DARPA", design and testing work has been carried out to create a hypersonic aircraft. The project was named "Falkon".
About a dozen companies took contracts worth about half a million dollars each. In 2004, within the framework of DARPA, contracts were received by well-known corporations - Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co, Andrews Space Inc and Northrop Grumman Corp. According to contracts worth more than a million dollars each, the corporations were to design a hypersonic transport aircraft.
Before the project was delivered:
- construction of a transport platform capable of developing hypersonic speed and carrying hyper-missiles or cruise missiles. The platform may be used for non-military purposes;
- building a prototype of Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 1. Tests canceled;
- building Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2. Tests are underway;
- building Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 3. The project is frozen. There are unofficial data that, in connection with the tests that took place in November, the work was resumed;
- building a compact SLV carrier and engine for designing X-41 CAV.
The main task is to create a new “Hypersonic Cruise Vehicle” rocket, which has the ability to fly about 20 thousands of kilometers in 120 minutes. The goal is delivery to the target of the main unit (executed as the head of a missile - warhead) weighing up to 6 tons. Flight speed around 20 M, the flight should take place at high altitudes.
The tests are carried out according to the following scheme: the prototype is raised to a high altitude by a carrier or aircraft and launched into horizontal flight. Then the prototype gains hypersonic speed, at a given point the aircraft is detached, which begins a dynamic flight while maintaining a given speed. The aircraft has a delta wing. There is practically no data on the design, photographs of which fill the Internet. It is not known for sure whether the prototypes are similar to the photographs and drawings.
The volunteer
The company "Boeing" presented its development - the X-51A "Waverider" flying object. Created 4 prototype of this project.
According to the technical requirements for the project, the Kh-51A must have a speed rating of Mach 7. After all tests have been completed, a decision will be made on the fate of the Kh-51A hypersonic missile.
Prototypes are built disposable. After testing, the rocket does not recover.
The first successful tests took place at the end of May last year. The B-52 aircraft with the X-51A on board rose to an altitude of 15 meters and separated the product. The X-000A, using rocket boosters, climbed almost 51 meters and had a speed of 20 Mach, the missile overcame the speed indicator of 000 Mach at a distance of 4.8 meters above sea level.
After reaching 5M, the Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne hypersonic engine was turned on, which worked for 110 seconds, after which there was a malfunction. However, the engine continued to work until it completely failed at 143 seconds into the flight. The X-6A rocket was unable to reach 51Mach. The designers quickly stated that the rocket was supposed to reach 5Mach during the tests, and reaching 6Mach was not the result.
The tests as a result were considered successful, and the result is the best for this time.
But still the flight was planned on the hyperdrive for about 4 minutes. After the perfect flight, it was revealed that the product could not accelerate as planned, quickly overheated and minor failures occurred when transmitting information to the ground.
The next tests were held in mid-June of this year. The engine failures were repeated, and the engine could not be restored. The tests were considered unsuccessful. Work is underway to identify engine failures. The date of the next tests is unknown.
Failure leads to success.
The first flight of the Falcon HTV-2 prototype took place at the end of April of this year. The flight was carried out using the carrier Minotaur IV, which is the conversion version of the ICBM MX. It was expected that the product would fly over 30 minutes over 7.5 thousands of kilometers. The trials failed.
According to available data, Minotaur IV brought the product to the calculated height and dispersed to 20M, it is about 23 000 km / h. After that, all communication with the product was lost. Presumably, there was a violation of stabilization, which led to destruction upon entering the dense atmosphere.
The following test takes place in August 2011. The prototype takes into account the errors of the first test. The prototype is successfully separated from the carrier when 20M and goes to the dynamic planning. However, overheating of the product begins here, and after 540 seconds the product loses its stabilization, which ultimately led to the team for self-destruction. Tests are considered unsuccessful.
And finally, on November 17, the third Falcon HTV-2 trials take place. The prototype 3.7 flew thousands of kilometers in about half an hour and fell into the water in a given area. The tests are fully successful.
Additional Information.
Some consider the Falcon HTV-2 to be a planning bomb, but in reality it’s rather a warhead with a number of improvements for planning. Perhaps we will soon hear the United States, following Russia, announcing the presence of ICBMs with hypersonic warheads and other solutions using hypersonic capabilities.
On November 22, the head of the Russian military department stated at a board meeting of the military council that the VKO being created in Russia will cope with any missiles, including hypersonic ones. Russia began to declare the presence of hypersonic warheads in 2005.
Information