Hypersonic fighter. Hypersonic aircraft. Russian hypersonic vehicles

A promising Russian bomber - the answer to the concept of a rapid global strike?

The competition for the development of 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 capable of flying 2-3 times faster than the speed of sound. The race for speed spawned many discoveries in the field of aerodynamics of flight 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 hypersound in their offspring - intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and launch vehicles. When launching satellites into near-Earth orbits, rockets developed a speed of 18,000 - 25,000 km / h. This far exceeded the limiting parameters of the fastest supersonic aircraft, both civilian (Concorde = 2150 km/h, Tu-144 = 2300 km/h) and military (SR-71 = 3540 km/h, MiG-31 = 3000 km/h). hour).

Separately, I would like to note that when designing the MiG-31 supersonic interceptor, aircraft designer G.E. Lozino-Lozinsky used advanced materials (titanium, molybdenum, etc.) in the design of the airframe, which allowed the aircraft to achieve a record manned flight altitude (MiG-31D) and a maximum speed of 7000 km / h in the upper atmosphere. In 1977, test pilot Alexander Fedotov set an absolute world flight altitude record on his predecessor MiG-25 - 37,650 meters (for comparison, the SR-71 had a maximum flight altitude of 25,929 meters). Unfortunately, engines for flights at high altitudes in a highly rarefied atmosphere had not yet been created, since these technologies were only being developed in the depths of Soviet research institutes and design bureaus as part of numerous experimental works.

A new stage in the development of hypersonic technologies was research projects to create aerospace systems that combined the capabilities of aviation (aerobatics and maneuver, landing on the runway) and spacecraft (orbital entry, orbital flight, descent from orbit). In the USSR and the USA, these programs were partially worked out, revealing to the world the Buran and Space Shuttle space orbital planes.

Why partially? The fact is that the launch of the aircraft into orbit was carried out using a launch vehicle. The cost of the withdrawal was huge, about $ 450 million (under the Space Shuttle program), which was several times higher than the cost of the most expensive civil and military aircraft, and did not allow the orbital aircraft to be made a mass product. The need to invest gigantic funds in the creation of infrastructure that provides ultra-fast intercontinental flights (cosmodromes, flight control centers, refueling complexes) completely buried the prospect of passenger transportation.

The only customer, at least somehow interested in hypersonic devices, was the military. True, this interest was episodic. The military programs of the USSR and the USA for the creation of aerospace aircraft followed different paths. After all, they were most consistently implemented in the USSR: from the project to create a PKA (planning spacecraft) to MAKS (multi-purpose aviation space system) and Buran, a consistent and continuous chain of scientific and technical groundwork was built, on the basis of which the foundation of future experimental flights of hypersonic aircraft prototypes.

Rocket design bureaus continued to improve their ICBMs. With the advent of modern air defense and missile defense systems capable of shooting down ICBM warheads at a great distance, new requirements began to be imposed on the striking elements of ballistic missiles. The warheads of the new ICBMs were supposed to overcome the enemy's anti-aircraft and anti-missile defenses. So there were warheads capable of overcoming the aerospace defense at hypersonic speeds (M = 5-6).

The development of hypersonic technologies for warheads (warheads) of ICBMs made it possible to launch several projects to create defense and offensive hypersonic weapons - kinetic (railgun), dynamic (cruise missiles) and space (strike from orbit).

The intensification of the US geopolitical rivalry with Russia and China revived the topic of hypersound as a promising tool that can provide an advantage in the field of space and missile and air weapons. The increased interest in these technologies is also due to the concept of causing maximum damage to the enemy by conventional (non-nuclear) weapons, which is actually being implemented by NATO countries led by the United States.

Indeed, if the military command has at least a hundred non-nuclear hypersonic vehicles that can easily overcome existing air defense and missile defense systems, then this “last argument of kings” directly affects the strategic balance between nuclear powers. Moreover, a hypersonic missile in the future can destroy elements of strategic nuclear forces both from the air and from space in no more than an hour from the moment the decision is made to the moment the target is hit. It is this ideology that is embedded in the American military program Prompt Global Strike (quick global strike).

Is such a program feasible in practice? 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 launch a non-nuclear strike anywhere on the globe within 60 minutes of a decision being made. Work within the framework of this concept is carried out simultaneously in several directions.

The first direction of PGS, and the most realistic from a technical point of view, was the use of ICBMs with high-precision non-nuclear warheads, including cluster warheads, which are equipped with a set of homing submunitions. The sea-based Trident II D5 ICBM was chosen as a test for this direction, delivering submunitions to a maximum range of 11,300 kilometers. At present, work is underway to reduce the CEP of warheads to values ​​​​of 60-90 meters.

The second direction of PGS strategic hypersonic cruise missiles (SGKR) were selected. Within the framework of the adopted concept, the X-51A Waverider (SED-WR) subprogram is being implemented. At the initiative of the US Air Force and with 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 appearance by 2020 of a technology demonstrator with an installed hypersonic ramjet engine (scramjet). According to experts, the SGKR 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 missile project. The experimental SGKR Boeing X-51A WaveRider is a classic cruise missile with a ventral scramjet and a four-console tail. The materials and thickness of passive thermal protection were chosen in accordance with the calculated estimates of heat flows. The nose module of the rocket is made of silicon-coated tungsten, which can withstand kinetic heating up to 1500°C. On the lower surface of the rocket, where temperatures of up to 830°C are expected, ceramic tiles are used, developed by Boeing for the Space Shuttle program. The X-51A missile must meet high stealth requirements (EPR not more than 0.01 m 2). To accelerate the product to a speed corresponding to M = 5, it is planned to install a tandem rocket booster on solid fuel.

It is planned to use US strategic aircraft as the main carrier of the SGKR. So far, there is no information about how these missiles will be placed - under the wing or inside the fuselage of the "strategist".

The third direction of PGS are programs to create systems of kinetic weapons that hit targets from Earth's orbit. The Americans calculated in detail the results of the combat use of a tungsten rod about 6 meters long 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 explosion of 12 tons of trinitrotoluene (TNT) will be released at the meeting point.

The theoretical justification gave rise to the 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 glide in the atmosphere with an increase in speed when approaching the target. While these developments are at the stage of preliminary design and experimental launches. The main problematic issues so far remain space-based systems (space groupings and combat platforms), high-precision targeting systems and ensuring the secrecy of launching into orbit (any launch and orbital objects are opened by Russian missile attack warning and space control systems). The Americans hope to solve the problem of secrecy after 2019, with the launch of a reusable aviation space system that will launch a payload into orbit “along the aircraft”, using two stages - a carrier aircraft (based on the Boeing 747) and an unmanned space aircraft (based on prototype apparatus X-37B).

The fourth direction of PGS is a program to create an unmanned hypersonic reconnaissance aircraft based on the famous Lockheed Martin SR-71 Blackbird.

A division of Lockheed, Skunk Works, is currently developing a promising UAV under the working name SR-72, which should double the maximum speed of the SR-71, reaching values ​​\u200b\u200bof about M = 6.

The development of a hypersonic reconnaissance aircraft is fully justified. Firstly, the SR-72, due to its colossal speed, will be less vulnerable to air defense systems. Secondly, it will fill in the "gaps" in the operation of satellites, quickly obtaining strategic information and detecting mobile ICBM systems, formations of ships, enemy forces in theaters of operations.

Two versions of the SR-72 aircraft are being considered - manned and unmanned, and its use as a strike bomber carrying high-precision weapons is also not ruled out. Most likely, lightweight rockets without a sustainer engine can be used as weapons, since it is not needed when launched at a speed of 6 Machs. The released weight is likely to be used to increase the power of warheads. Lockheed Martin plans to show a flight prototype of the aircraft in 2023.

Chinese project of hypersonic aircraft DF-ZF

On April 27, 2016, the American publication Washington Free Beacon, citing sources in the Pentagon, informed the world about the seventh test of the Chinese hypersonic 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 crashed at a training ground in Western China.

“According to the intelligence of the United States, China plans to use a hypersonic aircraft as a means of delivering nuclear charges capable of overcoming missile defense systems,” the publication noted. "The DZ-ZF can also be used as a weapon capable of destroying a target anywhere in the world within an hour."

According to an analysis conducted by US intelligence of the entire series of tests, hypersonic aircraft were launched 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 development of launches on the DF-31А ICBM (range 11,200 km) was not ruled out. According to the test program, the following is known: separating from the carrier in the upper layers of the atmosphere, the cone-shaped apparatus planned downward with acceleration and maneuvered on the trajectory of reaching the target.

Despite numerous foreign media publications that the Chinese hypersonic aircraft (HLA) is designed to destroy American aircraft carriers, Chinese military experts were skeptical about such statements. They pointed to the well-known fact that the supersonic speed of the GLA creates a plasma cloud around the device, which interferes with the operation of the onboard radar when adjusting the course and pointing at such a moving target as an aircraft carrier.

Colonel Shao Yongling, a professor at the PLA Missile Command College, told China Daily: “The super-high speed and range make it an excellent means of destroying ground targets. In the future, it can replace intercontinental ballistic missiles.”

According to the report of the relevant commission of the US Congress, the DZ-ZF can be adopted by the PLA in 2020, and its improved long-range version by 2025.

Scientific and technical reserve of Russia - hypersonic aircraft

Hypersonic Tu-2000

In the USSR, work on a hypersonic aircraft began at the Tupolev Design Bureau in the mid-1970s, based on the Tu-144 serial passenger aircraft. Research and design of an aircraft capable of speeds up to M = 6 (TU-260) and a flight range of up to 12,000 km, as well as a hypersonic intercontinental aircraft TU-360, were carried out. Its flight range was to reach 16,000 km. A project was even prepared for a Tu-244 passenger hypersonic aircraft, designed to fly at an altitude of 28-32 km at a speed of M = 4.5-5.

In February 1986, R&D began in the United States to create an X-30 spaceplane with an air-breathing propulsion system capable of going into orbit in a single-stage version. The National Aerospace Plane (NASP) project was distinguished by an abundance of new technologies, the key of which was a dual-mode hypersonic ramjet engine that allows flying at speeds of M = 25. According to information received by Soviet intelligence, NASP was developed for civilian and military purposes.

The response to the development of the transatmospheric X-30 (NASP) was the decrees of the USSR government of January 27 and July 19, 1986 on the creation of an equivalent to the American aerospace aircraft (VKS). On September 1, 1986, the Ministry of Defense issued terms of reference for a single-stage reusable aerospace aircraft (MVKS). According to this terms of reference, the MVKS was supposed to ensure efficient and economical delivery of goods to near-Earth orbit, high-speed transatmospheric intercontinental transportation, and the solution of military tasks, both in the atmosphere and in near space. Of the works submitted for the competition by the Tupolev Design Bureau, Yakovlev Design Bureau and NPO Energia, the Tu-2000 project received approval.

As a result of preliminary studies under the MVKS program, a power plant was selected based on proven and proven solutions. Existing air-jet engines (WJ) that used 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 supply of fuel on board and were not suitable for long-term flights in the atmosphere . Therefore, an important decision was made - in order for the aircraft to fly at supersonic speeds and at all altitudes, its engines must 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 engine), in which there are no rotating parts, in combination with a turbojet engine (turbojet engine) for acceleration. It was assumed that for flights at hypersonic speeds, a ramjet on liquid hydrogen is most suitable. And an accelerating engine is a turbojet engine running on either kerosene or liquid hydrogen.

As a result, a combination of an economical turbojet engine operating in the speed range M = 0-2.5, a second engine - a ramjet engine, accelerating the aircraft to M = 20, and a rocket engine for entering orbit (acceleration to the first space velocity of 7, 9 km / s) and ensure orbital maneuvers.

Due to the complexity of solving a complex of scientific, technical and technological problems for the creation of a single-stage MVKS, 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 of an orbital VKS, which ensures a flight experiment in the entire range flights, up to spacewalks. 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-seat aircraft with a flight range of 10,000 km and a takeoff weight of 350 tons. Six engines powered by liquid hydrogen were supposed to provide a speed of M = 6-8 at an altitude of 30-35 km.

According to OKB specialists. A.N. Tupolev, the cost of building one VCS was supposed to be about 480 million dollars, in 1995 prices (with the cost of R & D 5.29 billion dollars). The estimated launch cost was $13.6 million, with 20 launches per year.

The Tu-2000 model was shown for the first time at the Mosaeroshow-92 exhibition. Prior to the shutdown of work in 1992, for the Tu-2000, the following were manufactured: a 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 design bureau. Tupolev - Experimental Machine-Building Plant (now EMZ named after Myasishchev) was also engaged in the development of a single-stage videoconferencing system as part of the R & D "Cold-2". The project was called "M-19" and included the study of the following topics:

• Topic 19-1. Creation of a flying laboratory with a power plant running on liquid hydrogen fuel, development of technology for working with cryogenic fuel;
• Subject 19-2. Design and development work to determine the appearance of a hypersonic aircraft;
• Topic 19-3. Design and development work to determine the appearance of a promising videoconferencing;
• Topic 19-4. Design and development work to determine the appearance of alternative variants of the VKS with a nuclear propulsion system.

Work on the advanced videoconferencing was carried out under the direct supervision of General Designer V.M. Myasishchev and General Designer A.D. Tokhunts. To carry out R&D components, plans for joint work were approved with enterprises of the Ministry of Aviation Industry of the USSR, including: TsAGI, TsIAM, NIIAS, ITAM 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 the study of numerous alternative aerodynamic configurations. In terms of researching the characteristics of a new type of power plant, scramjet models were tested in wind tunnels at speeds corresponding to the numbers M = 3-12. To assess the effectiveness of the future VKS, mathematical models of the systems of the apparatus and the combined power plant with a nuclear rocket engine (NRE) were also worked out.

The use of the VCS with a combined nuclear propulsion system assumed expanded opportunities for intensive exploration of both near-Earth space, including remote geostationary orbits, and deep space regions, including the Moon and circumlunar space.

The presence of a nuclear installation on board the VCS would also make it possible to use it as a powerful energy hub to ensure the functioning of new types of space weapons (beam, beam weapons, means of influencing climatic conditions, etc.).

The combined propulsion system (KDU) included:

• Propulsion nuclear rocket engine (NRE) based on a nuclear reactor with radiation protection;
• 10 bypass turbojet engines (DTRDF) with heat exchangers in the inner and outer circuits and an afterburner;
• Hypersonic ramjet engines (scramjet);
• Two turbocompressors to ensure the pumping of hydrogen through the DTRDF heat exchangers;
• Distribution unit with turbopump units, heat exchangers and pipeline valves, fuel supply control systems.

Hydrogen was used as fuel for the DTRDF and scramjet, it was also the working fluid in the closed loop of the nuclear rocket engine.

In its final form, the M-19 concept looked like this: the 500-ton VKS takes off and initially accelerates like a nuclear aircraft with closed-cycle engines, and hydrogen serves as a coolant that transfers heat from the reactor to ten turbojet engines. As it accelerates and climbs, hydrogen begins to be supplied to the afterburners of the turbojet engine, and a little later to the direct-flow scramjet. Finally, at an altitude of 50 km, at a flight speed of more than 16M, an atomic nuclear rocket engine with a thrust of 320 ton-force is switched on, which provided access to a working orbit at a height of 185-200 kilometers. With a takeoff weight of about 500 tons, the VKS M-19 was supposed to launch a payload weighing about 30-40 tons into a reference orbit with an inclination of 57.3 °.

It should be noted a little-known fact that when calculating the characteristics of the KPS in the turboramjet, rocket-ramjet and hypersonic flight modes, the results of experimental studies and calculations carried out at CIAM, TsAGI and ITAM SB AS USSR were used.

Ajax - hypersound in a new way

Work on the creation of a hypersonic aircraft was also carried out at the Design Bureau "Neva" (St. Petersburg), on the basis of which the State Research Enterprise of Hypersonic Speeds was formed (now OAO "NIPGS" HC "Leninets").

In NIPGS, the creation of the GLA was approached in a fundamentally new way. The concept of the GLA "Ajax" was put forward in the late 80s. Vladimir Lvovich Freishtadt. Its essence lies in the fact that the HLA does not have thermal protection (unlike most videoconferencing and HLA). The heat flow that occurs during hypersonic flight is let inside the HAV to increase its energy resource. Thus, the Ajax GLA was an open aerothermodynamic system, which converted part of the kinetic energy of the hypersonic air flow into chemical and electrical energy, simultaneously solving the issue of airframe cooling. For this, the main components of the chemical heat recovery reactor with a catalyst were designed, placed under the airframe skin.

The aircraft skin in the most thermally stressed places had a two-layer shell. A catalyst made of heat-resistant material (“nickel washcloths”) was placed between the layers of the shell, which was an active cooling subsystem with chemical heat recovery reactors. According to calculations, in all modes of hypersonic flight, the temperature of the elements of the GLA airframe did not exceed 800-850°C.

The structure of the GLA includes a ramjet engine with supersonic combustion integrated with the airframe and the main (propulsion) engine - a magneto-plasma-chemical engine (MPKhD). MPCD was designed to control the air flow using a magneto-gasdynamic accelerator (MGD 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 hitting various targets in near-Earth orbits.

It was assumed that the marching MPCD would be able to change the flight speed in a wide range of the flight Mach number. Due to the deceleration of the hypersonic flow by the magnetic field, optimal conditions were created in the supersonic combustion chamber. During tests at TsAGI, it was revealed that the hydrocarbon fuel created within the framework of 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 entry into near-Earth orbit.

The civil version of the hypersonic aircraft was designed for a flight speed of 6,000-12,000 km/h, a flight range of up to 19,000 km, and the transport of 100 passengers. There is no information about the military developments of the Ajax project.

The Russian concept of hypersound - missiles and PAK DA

The work carried out in the USSR and in the first years of the existence of the new Russia on hypersonic technologies allows us to assert that the original domestic methodology and scientific and technical groundwork have been preserved and used to create Russian GLAs, both in missile and aircraft versions.

In 2004, during the “Safety 2004” command and staff exercises, Russian President V.V. Putin made a statement that still stirs the minds of the “public”. “Experiments and some tests were carried out ... Soon the Russian Armed Forces will receive combat systems 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 type of anti-missile defense unpromising - existing or promising..

Some domestic media have interpreted this statement to the best of their understanding. For example: “Russia developed the world’s first hypersonic maneuvering missile, which was launched from a Tu-160 strategic bomber in February 2004, when the Security 2004 command-and-staff exercises were held…

In fact, the exercise was launched ballistic missile RS-18 "Stiletto" with new combat equipment. Instead of a conventional warhead, the RS-18 had a device capable of changing the altitude and direction of flight, and thereby overcome any, including American, anti-missile defenses. Apparently, the vehicle tested during the Security 2004 exercise was a little-known Kh-90 hypersonic cruise missile (HCR) developed at the Raduga Design Bureau in the early 1990s.

Judging by the performance characteristics of this missile, the Tu-160 strategic bomber can carry two Kh-90s. The rest of the characteristics look like this: the mass of the rocket is 15 tons, the main engine is a scramjet, the accelerator is a solid propellant rocket engine, the flight speed is 4-5 M, the launch altitude is 7000 m, the flight altitude is 7000-20000 m, the launch range is 3000-3500 km, number of warheads - 2, warhead yield - 200 kt.

In a dispute about which aircraft or rocket is better, planes most often lost, since rockets turned out to be faster and more effective. And the plane became the carrier of cruise missiles capable of hitting targets at a distance of 2500-5000 km. When launching a missile at a target, the strategic bomber did not enter the anti-aircraft defense zone, so it made no sense to make it hypersonic.

The "hypersonic competition" between aircraft and missiles is now approaching a new denouement with a predictable result - missiles are again ahead of aircraft.

Let's assess the situation. The long-range aviation, which is part of the Russian Aerospace Forces, is armed with 60 Tu-95MS turboprop aircraft and 16 Tu-160 jet bombers. Service life of Tu-95MS expires in 5-10 years. The Ministry of Defense decided to increase the number of Tu-160s to 40 units. Work is underway to modernize the Tu-160. Thus, new Tu-160Ms will soon begin to arrive at the Aerospace Forces. The Tupolev Design Bureau is also the main developer of a promising long-range aviation complex (PAK DA).

Our "probable adversary" is not sitting idly by, he is investing in the development of the Prompt Global Strike (PGS) concept. The possibilities of the US military budget in terms of funding significantly exceed the possibilities of the Russian budget. The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Defense are arguing about the amount of funding for the State Armaments Program for the period up to 2025. And we are talking not only about current costs for the purchase of new weapons and military equipment, but also about promising developments, which include PAK DA and GLA technology.

In the creation of hypersonic ammunition (missiles or projectiles), not everything is clear. A clear advantage of hypersound is speed, a short approach time to the target, and a 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. The same shortcomings became decisive arguments in the reduction or closure of programs for manned hypersound, that is, for hypersonic aircraft.

The problem of the high cost of ammunition can be solved by the presence on board the aircraft of a powerful computer system for calculating the parameters of bombing (launch), which turns conventional bombs and missiles into precision weapons. Similar on-board computer systems installed in the warheads of hypersonic missiles make it possible to equate them with a class of strategic high-precision weapons, which, according to PLA military experts, can replace ICBM systems. The presence of strategic-range missile GLAs will call into question the need to maintain long-range aviation, as it has restrictions on the speed and effectiveness of combat use.

The appearance in the arsenal of any army of a hypersonic anti-aircraft missile (GZR) will force strategic aviation to “hide” at airfields, because. the maximum distance from which bomber cruise missiles can be used, such GZRs 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 disrupt a massive raid of strategic bombers before they reach the launch line of cruise missiles. The pilot of the "strategist" will probably detect the launch of the GZR, but he is unlikely to have time to take the plane away from defeat.

The development of the GLA, which is now being intensively carried out in developed countries, indicates that a search is underway for a reliable tool (weapon) that can guarantee the destruction of the enemy’s nuclear arsenal before the use of nuclear weapons, as the last argument in protecting state sovereignty. Hypersonic weapons can also be used in the main centers of political, economic and military power of the state.

Hypersound has not been forgotten in Russia, work is underway to create missile weapons based on this technology (Sarmat ICBM, Rubezh ICBM, X-90), but rely on only one type of weapon (“wonder weapon”, “weapons of retaliation ”) would be, at least, not correct.

There is still no clarity in the creation of the PAK DA, since the basic requirements for its purpose and combat use are still unknown. Existing strategic bombers, as components of Russia's nuclear triad, are gradually losing their significance due to the emergence of new types of weapons, including hypersonic ones.

The course towards "containment" of Russia, proclaimed the main task of NATO, is objectively capable of leading to aggression against our country, in which the armies of the "North Atlantic Treaty" trained and armed with modern means will participate. In terms of the number of personnel and weapons, NATO surpasses Russia by 5-10 times. A “sanitary belt” is being built around Russia, including military bases and missile defense positions. In essence, NATO's activities are described in military terms as operational theater preparations (THE). At the same time, the United States remains the main source of arms supplies, as it was in the First and Second World Wars.

A hypersonic strategic bomber can, within an hour, be anywhere in the world above any military facility (base) from which the supply of resources to groupings of troops is provided, including in the "sanitary belt". Less 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 become an additional deterrent for supporters of global military adventures.

The civil GLA can become the 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, is up to customers - the Ministry of Defense and the Government of Russia.

“Whoever wins by preliminary calculation before the battle has many chances. Whoever does not win by calculation before the battle has little chance. Whoever has a lot of chances wins. Who has little chance - does not win. Especially the one who has no chance at all. /Sun Tzu, "The Art of War"/

Military expert Alexei Leonkov

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It is too early to talk about an arms race in this area - today it is a technology race. Hypersonic projects have not yet gone beyond the scope of R&D: so far, mostly demonstrators are flying. Their levels of technological readiness on the DARPA scale are mainly in the fourth or sixth position (on a ten-point scale).

However, it is not necessary to talk about hypersound as some kind of technical novelty. Warheads of ICBMs enter the atmosphere on hypersonic, descent vehicles with astronauts, space shuttles are also hypersonic. But flying at hypersonic speeds while descending from orbit is a necessary necessity, and it does not last long. We will talk about aircraft for which hypersound is a regular mode of use, and without it they will not be able to show their superiority and show their capabilities and power.

Orbital strike

We will talk about hypersonic maneuvering guided objects - maneuvering warheads of ICBMs, hypersonic cruise missiles, hypersonic UAVs. What, in fact, do we mean by hypersonic aircraft? First of all, the following characteristics are taken into account: flight speed - 5-10 M (6150-12 300 km / h) and higher, covered operating altitude range - 25-140 km. One of the most attractive qualities of hypersonic vehicles is the impossibility of reliable tracking by means of air defense, since the object flies in a plasma cloud that is opaque to radars. It is also worth noting the high maneuverability and the minimum reaction time to defeat. For example, it takes only an hour for a hypersonic vehicle to hit its chosen target after leaving orbit.

Projects of hypersonic devices have been developed more than once and continue to be developed in our country. One can recall the Tu-130 (6 M), the Ajax aircraft (8-10 M), projects of high-altitude-speed hypersonic aircraft of the OKB im. Mikoyan on hydrocarbon fuel in various applications and a hypersonic aircraft (6 M) on two types of fuel - hydrogen for high flight speeds and kerosene for lower ones.

He left his mark in engineering design of the Design Bureau. Mikoyan "Spiral", in which the returning aerospace hypersonic aircraft was launched into orbit by a hypersonic booster aircraft, and after completing combat missions in orbit, returned to the atmosphere, performed maneuvers in it also at hypersonic speeds. The developments under the Spiral project were used in the projects of the BOR and the Buran space shuttle. There is officially unconfirmed information about the Aurora hypersonic aircraft created in the USA. Everyone has heard of him, but no one has ever seen him.

"Zircon" for the fleet

On March 17, 2016, it became known that Russia officially began testing the Zircon hypersonic anti-ship cruise missile (ASC). The newest projectile will be armed with fifth-generation nuclear submarines (Husky), it will also be received by surface ships and, of course, the flagship of the Russian fleet, Peter the Great. A speed of 5–6 M and a range of at least 400 km (a missile will cover this distance in four minutes) will significantly complicate the application of countermeasures. It is known that the rocket will use the new Detsilin-M fuel, which increases the flight range by 300 km. The developer of the Zircon anti-ship missiles is NPO Mashinostroeniya, which is part of the Tactical Missiles Corporation. The appearance of a serial rocket can be expected by 2020. At the same time, it should be taken into account that Russia has rich experience in creating high-speed anti-ship cruise missiles, such as the serial P-700 Granit anti-ship missile (2.5 M), the serial P-270 Moskit anti-ship missile (2.8 M), on which will be replaced by the new Zircon anti-ship missiles.

Cunning Warhead

The first information about the launch of the Yu-71 product (as it is designated in the West) into low-Earth orbit by the RS-18 Stiletto rocket and its return to the atmosphere appeared in February 2015. The launch was made from the position area of ​​​​the Dombrovsky formation by the 13th missile division of the Strategic Missile Forces (Orenburg region). It is also reported that by 2025 the division will receive 24 Yu-71 products to equip the already new Sarmat missiles. The product Yu-71 within the framework of project 4202 was also created by NPO Mashinostroeniya since 2009.

The product is a super-maneuverable missile warhead capable of gliding at a speed of 11,000 km/h. It can go into near space and from there hit targets, as well as carry a nuclear charge and be equipped with an electronic warfare system. At the time of entry "dive" into the atmosphere, the speed can be 5000 m / s (18000 km / h) and for this reason the Yu-71 has protection against overheating and overloads, and it can easily change the direction of flight without being destroyed.

The Yu-71 product, having high maneuverability at hypersonic speeds in altitude and heading and flying along a non-ballistic trajectory, becomes unattainable for any air defense system. In addition, the warhead is controllable, thanks to which it has a very high hitting accuracy: this will also allow it to be used in a non-nuclear high-precision version. It is known that several launches were made during 2011-2015. It is believed that the Yu-71 product will be put into service in 2025, and it will be equipped with the Sarmat ICBM.

Climb up

Of the projects of the past, the X-90 rocket, which was developed by the Raduga Design Bureau, can be noted. The project dates back to 1971, it was closed in a difficult year for the country in 1992, although the tests showed good results. The rocket was repeatedly demonstrated at the MAKS aerospace show. A few years later, the project was revived: the rocket received a speed of 4-5 Mach and a range of 3,500 km with a launch from a Tu-160 carrier. The demonstration flight took place in 2004. It was supposed to arm the rocket with two detachable warheads located on the sides of the fuselage, but the projectile never entered service.

The RVV-BD hypersonic missile was developed by the Vympel Design Bureau named after I.I. Toropova. It continues the line of K-37, K-37M missiles, which are in service with the MiG-31 and MiG-31BM. The RVV-BD missile will also arm hypersonic interceptors of the PAK DP project. According to the statement of the head of KTRV Boris Viktorovich Obnosov, made at MAKS 2015, the rocket began to be mass-produced and its first batches will roll off the assembly line as early as 2016. The missile weighs 510 kg, has a high-explosive fragmentation warhead and will hit targets at ranges of 200 km in a wide range of altitudes. A dual-mode solid propellant rocket engine allows it to develop a hypersonic speed of 6 M.

Hypersound of the Middle Kingdom

In the fall of 2015, the Pentagon reported, and this was confirmed by Beijing, that China had successfully tested the DF-ZF Yu-14 (WU-14) hypersonic maneuvering aircraft, which was launched from the Wuzhai test site. Yu-14 separated from the carrier "at the edge of the atmosphere", and then planned for a target located several thousand kilometers in western China. The flight of the DF-ZF was monitored by American intelligence services, and according to them, the device maneuvered at a speed of 5 Mach, although its speed could potentially reach 10 Mach. protection against kinetic heating. PRC representatives also reported that the Yu-14 is capable of breaking through the US air defense system and delivering a global nuclear strike.

America Projects

Currently, various hypersonic aircraft are "in work" in the United States, which are undergoing flight tests with varying degrees of success. Work on them began in the early 2000s, and today they are at different levels of technological readiness. Boeing, the developer of the X-51A hypersonic vehicle, recently announced that the X-51A would be put into service as early as 2017.

Among the ongoing projects, the United States has: the AHW (Advanced Hypersonic Weapon) hypersonic maneuvering warhead project, the Falcon HTV-2 (Hyper-Sonic Technology Vehicle) hypersonic aircraft launched using ICBMs, the Kh-43 Hyper-X hypersonic aircraft, a prototype hypersonic cruise missile X-51A Waverider of the Boeing company, equipped with a hypersonic ramjet with supersonic combustion. It is also known that in the United States, work is underway on the SR-72 hypersonic UAV from Lockheed Martin, which only in March 2016 officially announced its work on this product.

The first mention of the SR-72 drone dates back to 2013, when Lockheed Martin announced that the SR-72 hypersonic UAV would be developing to replace the SR-71 reconnaissance aircraft. It will fly at a speed of 6400 km/h at operating altitudes of 50-80 km up to suborbital, will have a dual-circuit propulsion system with a common air intake and a nozzle apparatus based on a turbojet engine for acceleration from a speed of 3 M and a hypersonic ramjet engine with supersonic combustion for flying at speeds over 3 M. SR-72 will perform reconnaissance missions, as well as strike with high-precision air-to-surface weapons in the form of light missiles without an engine - they will not need it, since a good starting hypersonic speed is already available.

The problematic issues of SR-72 experts include the choice of materials and skin design that can withstand large thermal loads from kinetic heating at temperatures of 2000 ° C and above. It will also be necessary to solve the problem of separating weapons from internal compartments at a hypersonic flight speed of 5-6 Mach and to exclude cases of loss of communication, which were repeatedly observed during tests of the HTV-2 object. Lockheed Martin Corporation said that the dimension of the SR-72 will be comparable to the dimension of the SR-71 - in particular, the length of the SR-72 will be 30 m. The SR-72 is expected to enter service in 2030.

Not a single hypersonic vehicle has been created

Creation and development of combat hypersonic aircraft is one of the biggest secrets not only in Russia, but also in the USA, China and other countries of the world. Information about them belongs to the category "top secret" - top secret. In an exclusive interview with Izvestia, the legendary designer of rocket and space technology Herbert Efremov, who has devoted more than 30 years to the creation of hypersonic technology, spoke about what hypersonic vehicles are and what difficulties they face in their development.

- Herbert Alexandrovich, now they are talking a lot about the creation of hypersonic aircraft, but most of the information about them is closed to the general public ...

Let's start with the fact that products that develop hypersonic speed, created a long time ago. For example, these are the usual heads of intercontinental ballistic missiles. Entering the Earth's atmosphere, they develop hypersonic speed. But they are uncontrollable and fly along a certain trajectory. And their interceptions by means of anti-missile defense (ABM) have been demonstrated more than once.

As another example, I will give our strategic cruise missile "Meteorite", which once flew at a crazy speed of Mach 3 - about 1000 m / s. Literally on the verge of hypersound (hypersonic speeds start at Mach 4.5. - Izvestia). But the main task of modern hypersonic aircraft (HZLA) is not just to quickly fly somewhere, but to perform a combat mission with high efficiency in conditions of strong opposition enemy. For example, the Americans have only 65 destroyers of the Arleigh Burke type with anti-missiles at sea. And then there are 22 Ticonderoga-class anti-missile cruisers, 11 aircraft carriers- each of which is based up to a hundred aircraft capable of creating an almost impenetrable system missile defense.

- You want to say that the speed itself does not solve anything?

Roughly speaking, hypersonic speed is 2 km/s. To overcome 30 km, you need to fly 15 seconds. In the final section of the trajectory, when the hypersonic aircraft approaches the target, the enemy’s anti-missile and air defense systems will be deployed, which the GZLA will detect. And in order to be manufactured by modern air defense and missile defense systems, if they are deployed in positions, it takes a matter of seconds. Therefore, for the effective combat use of GZLA one speed is not enough nothing if you did not provide electronic stealth and invulnerability for air defense / missile defense systems in the final leg of the flight. Here, both speed and the possibilities of radio technical protection of the device by its own stations of radio interference will play a role. Everything is in the complex.

- You say that there must be not only speed - the product must be controllable in order to achieve the goal. Tell us about the possibility of controlling the vehicle in a hypersonic flow.

All hypersonic vehicles fly in plasma. And combat nuclear heads fly in plasma, and everything that went beyond Mach 4, especially 6. An ionized cloud is formed around, and not just a stream with swirls: the molecules are further broken down into charged particles. Ionization affects communication, the passage of radio waves. It is necessary that the control and navigation systems of the GZLA at these flight speeds pierce this plasma.

On the "Meteorite" we had to see the earth's surface with a radar. Navigation was provided by comparison location pictures from a rocket board with a video standard embedded in the system. Otherwise it was impossible. "Caliber" and other cruise missiles can fly like this: I made reconnaissance of the terrain with a radio altimeter - here is a hill, here is a river, here is a valley. But this is possible when flying at an altitude of hundreds of meters. And when you rise to a height of 25 km, you can’t distinguish any hillocks with a radio altimeter. Therefore, we found certain areas on the ground, compared with what was recorded in the video standard, and determined the displacement of the rocket to the left or right, forward, backward, and by how much.

- In many textbooks for dummies, hypersonic flight in the atmosphere is compared to sliding on sandpaper due to the very high resistance. How true is this statement?

A little inaccurate. At hypersound, all sorts of turbulent flows around, eddies and shaking of the apparatus begin. The heat stress regimes change depending on whether the flow is laminar (smooth) on the surface or with disruptions. There are a lot of difficulties. For example, the heat load increases sharply. If you fly at a speed of Mach 3, you have heating of the GZLA skin around 150 degrees in the atmosphere, depending on the altitude. The higher the flight altitude, the less heating. But at the same time, if you fly at a speed twice as high, the heating will be much greater. Therefore, new materials must be used.

- And what can be cited as an example of such materials?

Various carbon materials. On nuclear warheads that are on intercontinental "hundredths" (ballistic missiles UR-100 developed by NPO Mashinostroeniya), even fiberglass. With hypersound, the temperature is many thousands of degrees. BUT steel holds only 1200 degrees Celsius. Those are crumbs.

Hypersonic temperatures take away the so-called "sacrificial layer" (a coating layer that is consumed during the flight of an aircraft. - Izvestia). Therefore, the shell of nuclear warheads is designed in such a way that most of it will be "eaten" by hypersound, while the internal filling will be preserved. But GZLA there can be no "sacrificial layer". If you are flying on a controlled product, you must maintain an aerodynamic shape. You can not "blunt" the product so that it burns the toe and edges of the wings, etc. By the way, this was done in American Shuttle, and on our Buran. There, graphite materials were used as thermal protection.

- Is it correct to write in popular science literature that it is for a hypersonic atmospheric apparatus that the design should be like a single monolithic solid body?

Not necessary. They can consist of compartments and different elements.

- That is, the classical scheme of the structure of the rocket is possible?

Of course. Select materials, order new developments, if necessary, check, work out on stands, in flight, correct if something went wrong. It also needs to be able to measure hundreds of telemetry sensors of incredible complexity.

- Which engine is better - solid fuel or liquid for a hypersonic vehicle?

Solid fuel is not suitable here at all, because it can overclock, but it is impossible to fly with it for a long time. Such engines in ballistic missiles such as "Mace", "Topol". In the case of GZLA, this is unacceptable. On our Yakhont missile (anti-ship cruise missile, part of the Bastion complex. - Izvestia) there is only a solid-fuel launch booster. Then it flies on a liquid ramjet engine.

There are attempts to make a ramjet engine with an internal content of solid fuel, which is smeared over the combustion chamber. But it is also not enough for long ranges.

For liquid fuels, you can make the tank smaller, of any shape. One of the Meteorites flew with tanks in the wings. It was tested because we had to achieve a range of 4-4.5 thousand km. And he flew on an air-jet engine that ran on liquid fuel.

- What is the difference between an air-jet engine and a liquid-propellant engine?

A liquid-propellant jet engine contains the oxidizer and fuel in separate tanks, which are mixed in the combustion chamber. The jet engine is powered by one fuel: kerosene, decilin or bicillin. The oxidizing agent is the incoming oxygen of the air. Bicilin (fuel obtained from vacuum gas oil using hydrogenation processes. - Izvestia) was developed by our order for Meteorite. This liquid fuel has very high density, allowing you to make a tank of a smaller volume.

- Photographs of hypersonic aircraft with a jet engine are known. They all have an interesting shape: not streamlined, but rather angular and square. Why?

You are probably talking about the X-90, or, as it is called in the West, AS-X-21 Koala(the first Soviet experimental GZLA. - Izvestia). Well, yes, it's a clumsy bear. Ahead are the so-called "boards", "wedges" (structural elements with sharp corners, ledges. - "Izvestia"). All in order to make the air flow entering the engine acceptable for combustion and normal combustion of fuel. To do this, we create the so-called shock waves (a sharp increase in pressure, density, temperature of the gas and a decrease in its speed when the supersonic flow meets some kind of obstacle. - Izvestia). Jumps are formed just on the "boards" and "wedges" - those structural elements that dampen the air speed.

On the way to the engine, there may be a second shock, a third. The whole nuance is that air should not enter the combustion chamber at the same speed, with which the GZLA flies. It must be reduced. And very strongly. Preferably to subsonic values, for which everything has been worked out, checked and tested. But this is precisely the problem that the creators of GZLA are trying to solve and not decided in 65 years.

As soon as you jump past Mach 4.5, in such a high-speed movement, air particles slip into the engines very quickly. And you have to “reduce” the atomized fuel and the oxidizer - atmospheric oxygen - to each other. This interaction should be with a high completeness of fuel combustion. Interaction should not be disrupted by some fluctuations, an extra breath inside. How to do this, no one has yet figured out.

- Is it possible to create a GZLA for civilian needs, for the transportation of passengers and cargo?

Maybe. At one of the Paris air shows, an aircraft developed by the French together with the British was shown. The turbojet engine lifts it to a height, and then the car accelerates to about Mach 2. Then the ramjet engines are opened, which bring the aircraft to a speed of Mach 3.5 or 4. And then it flies at an altitude of 30 kilometers somewhere from New York to Japan. Before landing, the reverse mode is activated: the car descends, switches to a turbojet engine, like a normal plane, enters the atmosphere and lands. Hydrogen is considered as a fuel, as the most high-calorie substance.

- Currently, Russia and the United States are most actively developing hypersonic aircraft. Can you evaluate the successes of our opponents?

As for the ratings, I can say - let the guys work. For 65 years, they have not really done anything. At speeds from 4.5 to 6 Machs, there is not a single GZLA actually made.

The latest hypersonic aircraft Yu-71 (Yu-71)

Hypersonic weapons and hyperspeed: how physics prevents the military from making the rocket of their dreams

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The Cold War that took place between the US and the USSR in 1946-1991 is long over. At least that's what many experts think. However, the arms race did not stop for a minute, and even today it is in the stage of active development. Despite the fact that today the main threats to the country are terrorist groups, relations between world powers are also tense. All this creates conditions for the development of military technologies, one of which is a hypersonic aircraft.

Need

Relations between the United States and Russia are greatly aggravated. And although at the official level the United States is called a partner country in Russia, many political and military experts argue that there is a tacit war between the countries not only on the political front, but also on the military in the form of an arms race. In addition, the United States is actively using NATO to encircle Russia with its missile defense systems.

This cannot but worry the leadership of Russia, which has long begun to develop unmanned aerial vehicles that exceed hypersonic speed. These drones can be equipped with a nuclear warhead, and they can easily deliver a bomb anywhere in the world, and quickly enough. A similar hypersonic aircraft has already been created - this is the Yu-71 liner, which is being tested today in strict secrecy.

Development of hypersonic weapons

For the first time, aircraft that could fly at the speed of sound began to be tested in the 50s of the 20th century. Then it was still connected with the so-called Cold War, when two developed powers (the USSR and the USA) sought to overtake each other in the arms race. The first project was the Spiral system, which was a compact orbital aircraft. It was supposed to compete with and even surpass the US X-20 Dyna Soar hypersonic aircraft. Also, the Soviet aircraft had to have the ability to reach speeds of up to 7000 km / h and at the same time not fall apart in the atmosphere during overloads.

And although Soviet scientists and designers tried to bring such an idea to life, they could not even get close to the cherished characteristics. The prototype did not even take off, but the Soviet government breathed a sigh of relief when the American plane also failed during the tests. The technologies of that time, including in the aviation industry, were infinitely far from the current ones, so the creation of an aircraft that could exceed the speed of sound several times was doomed to failure.

However, in 1991, an aircraft was tested that could reach speeds exceeding the speed of sound. It was the flying laboratory "Cold", created on the basis of the 5V28 rocket. The test was successful, and then the plane was able to reach a speed of 1900 km / h. Despite the progress, the development after 1998 was stopped due to the economic crisis.

Technologies of the 21st century

There is no accurate and official information about the development of hypersonic aircraft. However, if we collect materials from open sources, we can conclude that such developments were carried out in several directions at once:

1. Creation of warheads for intercontinental ballistic missiles. Their mass exceeded the mass of standard missiles, however, due to the ability to maneuver in the atmosphere, it is impossible or at least extremely difficult to intercept them with missile defense systems.
2. The development of the Zircon complex is another direction in the development of technology, which is based on the use of the Yakhont supersonic missile launcher.
3. Creation of a complex whose missiles can exceed the speed of sound by 13 times.

If all these projects are united in one holding, then by joint efforts an air, ground or ship-based missile can be created. If the Prompt Global Strike project, created in the USA, is successful, then the Americans will have the opportunity to hit anywhere in the world within one hour. Russia will be able to defend itself only with technologies of its own development.

American and British experts are recording tests of supersonic missiles that can reach speeds of up to 11,200 km/h. Given such a high speed, it is almost impossible to shoot them down (not a single missile defense system in the world is capable of this). Moreover, they are even extremely difficult to track. There is very little information about the project, which sometimes appears under the name Yu-71.

What is known about the Russian Yu-71 hypersonic aircraft?

With the fact that the project is classified, there is very little information about it. It is known that this glider is part of the rocket supersonic program, and in theory it is able to fly to New York in 40 minutes. Of course, this information has no official confirmation and exists at the level of speculation and rumors. But given that Russian supersonic missiles can reach speeds of 11,200 km/h, such conclusions seem quite logical.

According to various sources, the Yu-71 hypersonic aircraft:

1. Possesses high maneuverability.
2. Can plan.
3. Able to reach speeds of over 11,000 km / h.
4. Can go into space during the flight.

Statements

At the moment, tests of the Russian Yu-71 hypersonic aircraft have not yet been completed. However, some experts argue that by 2025 Russia may receive this supersonic glider, and it will be possible to equip it with nuclear weapons. Such an aircraft will be put into service, and in theory it will be capable of delivering a pinpoint nuclear strike anywhere in the world within just one hour.

Russia's representative to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin, said that the once most developed and advanced industry of the USSR has lagged behind the arms race over the past decades. However, more recently, the army began to revive. Outdated Soviet technology is being replaced by new samples of Russian developments. In addition, the fifth-generation weapons, stuck in the 90s in the form of projects on paper, are taking on a visible shape. According to the politician, new samples of Russian weapons can surprise the world with unpredictability. It is likely that Rogozin is referring to the new Yu-71 hypersonic aircraft, which can carry a nuclear warhead.

It is believed that the development of this aircraft began in 2010, but in the United States they learned about it only in 2015. If the information about its technical characteristics is true, then the Pentagon will have to solve a difficult task, since the missile defense systems used in Europe and on its territory will not be able to provide opposition to such an aircraft. In addition, the United States and many other countries will simply be defenseless against such weapons.

Other functions

In addition to the possibility of inflicting nuclear strikes on the enemy, the glider, thanks to powerful modern electronic warfare equipment, will be able to carry out reconnaissance, as well as disable devices equipped with electronic equipment.

According to NATO reports, from approximately 2020 to 2025, up to 24 such aircraft may appear in the Russian army, which can quietly cross the border and destroy an entire city with just a few shots.

Development plans

Of course, there is no data on the adoption of the promising Yu-71 aircraft, but it is known that it has been developed since 2009. In this case, the device will be able not only to fly in a straight line, but also to maneuver.

It is maneuverability at hypersonic speeds that will become a feature of the aircraft. Doctor of military sciences Konstantin Sivkov claims that intercontinental missiles can reach supersonic speeds, but at the same time they act like conventional ballistic warheads. Consequently, their flight path is easily calculated, which makes it possible for the missile defense system to shoot them down. But guided aircraft pose a serious threat to the enemy, since their trajectory is unpredictable. Therefore, it is impossible to determine at what point the bomb will be thrown, and since the drop point cannot be determined, the trajectory of the fall of the warhead is not calculated either.

In Tula on September 19, 2012, at a meeting of the military-industrial commission, Dmitry Rogozin announced that a new holding should soon be created, whose task would be to develop hypersonic technologies. The enterprises that will be part of the holding were immediately named:

1. "Tactical Missiles".
2. "NPO Engineering". At the moment, the company is developing supersonic technologies, but at the moment the company is part of the Roscosmos structure.
3. The next member of the holding should be the Almaz-Antey concern, which is currently developing technologies for the aerospace and anti-missile industries.

Rogozin believes that such a merger is necessary, but legal aspects do not allow it to take place. It is also noted that the creation of a holding does not imply a takeover by one company by another. This is precisely the merger and joint work of all enterprises, which will accelerate the development of hypersonic technologies.

Igor Korotchenko, chairman of the council under the RF Ministry of Defense, also supports the idea of ​​creating a holding company that would develop hypersonic technologies. According to him, the new holding is really necessary, because it will allow directing all efforts to create a promising type of weapon. Both companies have great potential, but separately they will not be able to achieve the results that are possible with a combination of efforts. It is together that they will be able to contribute to the development of the defense complex of the Russian Federation and create the fastest aircraft in the world, the speed of which will exceed expectations.

Weapons as an instrument of political struggle

If by 2025 not only hypersonic missiles with nuclear warheads, but also Yu-71 gliders will be in service, this will seriously strengthen Russia's political positions during negotiations with the United States. And this is completely logical, because all countries in the course of negotiations act from a position of strength, dictating favorable conditions to the opposite side. Equal negotiations between the two countries are possible only if both sides have powerful weapons.

Vladimir Putin during his speech at the conference "Army-2015" said that the nuclear forces receive new intercontinental missiles in the amount of 40 units. These turned out to be precisely hypersonic missiles, and they can currently overcome existing missile defense systems. Viktor Murakhovsky, a member of the expert council of the military-industrial commission, confirms that every year ICBMs are being improved.

Russia is also testing and developing new cruise missiles capable of flying at hypersonic speeds. They can approach targets at ultra-low altitudes, making them virtually invisible to radar. Moreover, modern missile defense systems in service with NATO cannot hit such missiles due to their low flight altitude. In addition, in theory, they are capable of intercepting targets moving at speeds up to 800 meters per second, while the speed of the Yu-71 aircraft and cruise missiles is much higher. This renders NATO's missile defense systems almost useless.

Projects from other countries

It is known that China and the United States are also developing an analogue of the Russian hypersonic aircraft. The characteristics of enemy models are still unclear, but we can already assume that the Chinese development is able to compete with the Russian aircraft.

Known as the Wu-14, the Chinese aircraft was tested in 2012, and even then it was able to reach speeds of over 11,000 km / h. However, the weapons that this device is capable of carrying are not mentioned anywhere.

As for the American Falcon HTV-2 drone, it was tested several years ago, but it crashed in 10 minutes of flight. However, the X-43A hypersonic aircraft, which was handled by NASA engineers, was tested before it. During the tests, he showed a fantastic speed - 11,200 km / h, which exceeds the speed of sound by 9.6 times. The prototype was tested in 2001, but then during the tests it was destroyed due to the fact that it got out of control. But in 2004 the apparatus was successfully tested.

Similar tests by Russia, China and the United States call into question the effectiveness of modern missile defense systems. The introduction of hypersonic technologies in the military-industrial sector is already making a real revolution in the military world.

Conclusion

Of course, the military-technical development of Russia cannot but rejoice, and the presence of such an aircraft in the armament of the army is a big step in improving the country's defense capability, but it is foolish to believe that other world powers do not attempt to develop such technologies.

Even today, with free access to information via the Internet, we know very little about the promising developments of domestic weapons, and the description of the "Yu-71" is known only by rumors. Consequently, we cannot even come close to knowing what technologies are being developed right now in other countries, including China and the United States. The active development of technology in the 21st century allows you to quickly invent new types of fuel and apply previously unfamiliar technical and technological methods, so the development of aircraft, including military ones, is very fast.

It is worth noting that the development of technologies that allow aircraft to reach speeds that exceed 10 times the speed of sound will affect not only the military, but also the civilian sphere. In particular, such well-known airliner manufacturers as Airbus or Boeing have already announced the possibility of creating hypersonic aircraft for passenger air transportation. Of course, such projects are still only in the plans, but the likelihood of developing such aircraft today is quite high.

In history, GLAs have been implemented in the form of several test aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles and orbital stages-spaceplanes of reusable spacecraft (MTKK). There also existed and still exists a large number of projects of vehicles of these types, as well as aerospace systems (orbital aircraft) with hypersonic booster and orbital stages or single-stage AKS-spacecraft and passenger spaceplanes.

One of the first detailed projects of the GLA was the unrealized Zenger project to create a partially orbital combat spacecraft-bomber "Silbervogel" in Nazi Germany.

Unlike spaceplanes, due to the need for more complex propulsion and structural technologies when creating spacecraft, none of the spacecraft projects has been implemented to date.

Hypersonic aircraft

In the 1960s, the United States carried out a program to develop and fly an experimental rocket-plane North American X-15, which became the first in history and for 40 years the only GLA aircraft to perform suborbital manned space flights. In the USA, 13 of his flights above 80 km, and in the world (FAI) - 2 of them, in which the space limit of 100 km was exceeded, are recognized as suborbital manned space flights, and their participants are astronauts.

Similar programs in the USSR and other countries.

At the beginning of the 21st century, there was a project in Russia, but the project of a partially reusable winged spacecraft Clipper, launched on a conventional launch vehicle, was canceled.

In the United States, the Boeing X-37 project continues with flights into orbit of an experimental spaceplane launched on a launch vehicle. Projects are being developed: in the UK - a single-stage AKS-spacecraft Skylon with a horizontal launch and landing, in India - a prototype spaceplane launched on a launch vehicle of a single-stage AKS-spacecraft RLV / AVATAR with a vertical launch and a horizontal landing, in China - a spaceplane launched on a launch vehicle and its prototype Shenlong and two-stage MTKK with horizontal launch and landing, etc.

• Single stage space system

Hypersonic UAVs

Projects of special experimental unmanned GLAs are being developed and implemented in order to test the possibilities of creating two- and one-stage reusable transport ACS (spaceplanes and spacecraft) of the next generations and advanced technologies of rocket engine building (scramjet) and others.

There were projects brought to different initial stages of implementation of unmanned GLA projects in the USA - Boeing X-43, Russia - "Cold" and "Needle", Germany - SHEFEX (prototype spaceplane / spacecraft), Australia - AUSROCK and others.

Hypersonic missiles and guided missile warheads

Previously, a number of projects were developed for experimental and combat cruise (for example, the X-90 in the USSR) and non-cruise (for example, the X-45 in the USSR) missiles that reach hypersonic speeds.

Technologies and Applications

GZLA can be without engines or equipped with various types of propulsion systems: liquid rocket engines (LPRE), hypersonic ramjet engines (scramjet engines), solid propellant rocket engines (SSRM) (as well as theoretically nuclear rocket engines (NRE) and others), including including a combination of such engines and boosters. That is, the term "hypersonic" implies the ability of the device to move at hypersonic speed in the air, using both engines and air in one form or another.

Given the potential of the technology, organizations around the world are conducting research in the field of hypersonic flight and development scramjet. Apparently, the first application will be for guided military missiles, because this area requires only airplane mode in the altitude range, and not acceleration to orbital speed. Thus, the main funds for development in this area go precisely within the framework of military contracts.

Hypersonic space systems may or may not benefit from the use of stages with scramjet. Specific impulse or efficiency scramjet theoretically ranges from 1000 to 4000 seconds, while in the case of a rocket this value for 2009 does not exceed 470 seconds, which in principle means much cheaper access to space. However, this figure will decrease rapidly as speed increases and there will also be deterioration in lift-to-drag ratio. Significant problem of low thrust ratio scramjet to its mass, which is 2, which is about 50 times worse than this indicator for LRE. This is partly offset by the fact that the cost of compensating for gravity in actual aircraft mode is insignificant, but a longer stay in the atmosphere means greater aerodynamic losses.

Aircraft-airliner with scramjet should significantly reduce travel time from one point to another, potentially making any point on Earth within 90 minutes reachable. However, questions remain as to whether such vehicles can carry enough fuel to fly long enough distances and whether they can fly at a sufficient height to avoid the sound effects associated with supersonic flight. Also remain uncertain questions related to the total cost of such flights and the possibility of multiple use of vehicles after hypersonic flight.

Advantages and disadvantages in the case of space vehicles

The advantage of a hypersonic aircraft like X-30 consists in eliminating or reducing the amount of transported oxidant. For example, the outer tank of the MTKK Space Shuttle at launch contains 616 tons of liquid oxygen (oxidizer) and 103 tons of liquid hydrogen (fuel). The space shuttle-spaceplane itself weighs no more than 104 tons upon landing. Thus, 75% of the entire structure is the transported oxidizer. Eliminating this extra mass should lighten the craft and hopefully increase the payload share. The latter can be considered the main goal of studying scramjet along with the prospect of reducing the cost of delivering cargo into orbit.

But there are certain disadvantages:

Low thrust-to-weight ratio

liquid rocket engine LRE") is different very a high thrust ratio in relation to its mass (up to 100:1 or more), which allows rockets to achieve high performance when delivering cargo into orbit. On the contrary, the thrust ratio scramjet to its mass is about 2, which means an increase in the share of the engine in the launch mass of the device (without taking into account the need to reduce this value by at least four times due to the lack of an oxidizer). In addition, the presence of a lower speed limit scramjet and the drop in its efficiency with increasing speed determines the need to use on such space systems LRE with all their shortcomings.

The need for additional engines to achieve orbit

hypersonic ramjet have a theoretical range of operating speeds from 5-7 up to the first space velocity of 25 , but as studies have shown within the framework of the project X-30, the upper limit is set by the possibility of fuel combustion in the passing air stream and is about 17 . Thus, another additional system of jet acceleration in the non-operating speed range is required. Since the required difference in replenishment of speeds is insignificant, and the proportion Mon in the launch mass of a hypersonic aircraft is large, the use of additional rocket boosters of various types is a completely acceptable option. Research Opponents scramjet argue that any prospects of this type of apparatus can manifest itself only for single-stage space systems. Proponents of these studies argue that variants of multi-stage systems using scramjet also justified.

Return stage

Potentially, the lower part of the thermal protection of a hypersonic spacecraft must be doubled in order to return the vehicle to the surface. The use of an ablative coating can mean its loss after orbit, active thermal protection using fuel as a coolant requires the engine to function.

Price

Reducing the amount of fuel and oxidizer in the case of hypersonic vehicles means an increase in the share of the cost of the vehicle itself in the total cost of the system. In fact, the cost of one aircraft with scramjet can be very high compared to the cost of fuel, because the cost of aerospace equipment is at least two orders of magnitude higher than for liquid oxygen and tanks for it. Thus, devices with scramjet most justified as reusable systems. Whether the equipment can be reused in the extreme conditions of hypersonic flight is not entirely clear - all systems designed so far have not been designed to return and reuse them.

The final cost of such a device is the subject of intense discussion, because now there is no clear conviction in the prospects of such systems. Apparently, in order to be economically justified, a hypersonic vehicle will have to have more Mon compared to a launch vehicle with the same launch mass.