Hypersonic fighter. Hypersonic strike systems of a new generation. History of hypersonic vehicles

22.04.2020

Hypersonic aircraft, which will reach technical maturity in the near future, may radically change the entire field of missile weapons. And Russia will have to join this race, otherwise there will be a risk of losing too much. After all, we are talking about nothing less than a scientific and technological revolution.

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.

IMPACT FROM ORBIT

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, we have in mind the following characteristics: flight speed - 5-10 M and above, covered operating altitude range - 25-140 km. One of the most attractive qualities of hypersonic vehicles is the impossibility of reliable tracking by air defense systems, 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, a hypersonic vehicle takes only an hour after leaving the orbit to hit the selected target.

Projects of hypersonic devices have been developed more than once and continue to be developed in our country. One can recall the Tu-130, the Ajax aircraft on two types of fuel - hydrogen for high flight speeds and kerosene for smaller ones.

The project of the OKB im. 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 latest 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.

INTELLIGENT 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 re-entry into the atmosphere appeared in February 2015. The launch was made from the positional 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 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.

GO 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 tests have shown 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. The dual-mode solid propellant rocket engine allows it to develop a hypersonic speed of 6 M.

HYPERSOUND

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 US 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 on different levels 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 X-43 Hyper-X hypersonic aircraft, a prototype hypersonic cruise missile The Boeing X-51A Waverider, 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 officially announced its work on this product in March 2016.

The first mention of the SR-72 drone dates back to 2013, when Lockheed Martin announced that the 5R-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. 5R-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.

Experts refer to the problematic issues of SR-72 as the choice of materials and the design of the skin 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.

Swift Scout
SR-72 is a promising American aircraft that can become a functional analogue of the legendary SR-71 - a supersonic and highly maneuverable reconnaissance aircraft. The main difference from its predecessor is the absence of a pilot in the cockpit and hypersonic speed.

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, a hypersonic vehicle takes only an hour after leaving the orbit to hit the selected target.

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 hypersonic aircraft(6 M) on two types of fuel - hydrogen for high flight speeds and kerosene for smaller ones.

US-developed Boeing X-51A Waverider hypersonic missile

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.

Winged Strike
The unmanned hypersonic gliding aircraft, developed at the Tupolev Design Bureau in the late 1950s, was supposed to be the last stage of the missile strike system.

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.

Element of a hypersonic airframe, which remained a project
The length of the aircraft was to be 8 m, wingspan - 2.8 m.

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.

SR-71
Today, this aircraft, long out of service, occupies a prominent place in the history of aviation. It is being replaced by hypersound.

Hypersound of the Middle Kingdom

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.

Cosmic "spiral"
A hypersonic booster aircraft developed under the Spiral project. It was also assumed that the system would include a military orbital aircraft with a rocket booster.

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.

Hypersonic aircraft, which will reach technical maturity in the near future, may radically change the entire field of missile weapons. 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).

SR-72 is a promising American aircraft that can become a functional analogue of the legendary SR-71 - a supersonic and highly maneuverable reconnaissance aircraft. The main difference from its predecessor is the absence of a pilot in the cockpit and hypersonic speed.

Orbital strike

We will talk about hypersonic maneuvering guided objects - hypersonic cruise missiles, hypersonic UAVs. What, in fact, do we mean by hypersonic aircraft? First of all, we have in mind the following characteristics: flight speed - 5-10 M (6150-12300 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, a hypersonic vehicle takes only an hour after leaving the orbit to hit the selected target.

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), the projects of high-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.

The US-developed Boeing X-51A Waverider hypersonic missile.

"Zircon" for the fleet

On March 17, 2016, it became known that . The latest projectile will be armed with fifth-generation nuclear submarines ("Husky"), surface ships and, of course, will also receive it. 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 (as it is designated in the West) to low Earth orbit by the RS-18 Stiletto rocket and its re-entry into 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.

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.

Hypersound of the Middle Kingdom

In the fall of 2015, the Pentagon reported, and this was confirmed by Beijing, that it 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 their data, the device maneuvered at a speed of 5 Mach, although its potential speed could reach 10 Mach.

China said it had solved the problem of hypersonic jet engines for such vehicles and created new lightweight composite materials to protect 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 principles of hypersonic strike weapons and the basics of their combat use were developed back in the 1930s in Nazi Germany. Only after the turning point during the Second World War, by 1942, work on the creation of a hypersonic "bomber" was stopped. Is the return of hypersonic strike weapons possible today?

Dr. Zenger's Monster

In 1933, Dr. E. Zenger substantiated the possibility of creating a hypersonic aircraft capable of reaching the upper atmosphere when accelerating to 5900 m / s and then descending to 10 km, ricocheting from dense layers of the atmosphere (like a stone from water), fly away to a distance up to 23400 km.

The first hypersonic aircraft was designed at the Research Institute of Rocket Flight Technology (Trauen, Germany) in 1936 and was called the “antipode bomber”.

The "Dr. Zenger's monster" weighed about 100 tons when filled, the launch of the device was supposed to be carried out at an angle of 30 degrees from rail guides about three km long. The payload in this case was about 0.3 tons of explosives. In the event of the successful implementation of this project, almost the entire globe was under the threat of German missile strikes.

Instant global impact concept

The idea of using hypersonic missiles is very reminiscent of the modern "Instant Global Strike Concept", which has recently turned the heads of many politicians abroad...

Attempts to create hypersonic missiles were resumed in the world almost immediately after the end of World War II and were especially intensified during the Cold War.

Most of the developments during this period ended at the stage of experimental testing and demonstration of technologies - structural materials could not withstand aerodynamic heating at speeds above 5 M. Controlling the vehicle at such speeds and overloads was impossible, and high-precision targeting was practically not achieved ...

Interest in hypersonic weapons has skyrocketed again with the recent announcement of the "Instant Global Strike Concept" and the creation of the US Air Force's Global Strike Command. So, in May 2003, the US Department of Defense officially announced the start of work on high-precision non-nuclear weapons capable of hitting targets anywhere in the world "in minutes or hours."

In accordance with the adopted concept, the composition of the strike weapons of the Global Strike Command, along with fairly well-developed and effective missile systems strategic purpose such as "Minuteman-III", "Trident-II" and long-range strategic cruise missiles, in the future should include hypersonic aircraft with non-nuclear equipment.

The most promising samples of the GZLA (hypersonic aircraft) have been developed to date in the United States, the leading country in this field. Among the many developed options for hypersonic aircraft Three main types of GZLA have now reached the stage of experimental development:

Hypersonic cruise missile (GZKR);

Aerospace aircraft (VKS);

Gliding warhead (PGCh).

Hypersonic cruise missile X-43 A

After unsuccessfully conducting a number of research programs to create GZKR (hypersonic cruise missiles) by 2004, the main efforts of the US military-industrial complex were focused on the HyStrike project.

The standard requirement was to demonstrate the cruising mode of the experimental GZLA (M = 6.5) at an altitude of 27.4 km and achieve the maximum range in no more than 10 minutes of flight. The greatest difficulties during a long-term hypersonic flight of such a device arose due to the significant aerodynamic heating of the elements of such a GZKR (see Figure 1).

Under the contract, Boeing and Aerojet were to conduct 11 test flights, and in the last eight the device must be equipped with a working engine. Aerojet was to build 14 experimental engines: six for ground testing and eight for flight tests.

On March 27, 2004, flight tests of a new experimental model of the GZLA of the X-43A type were carried out. A B-52 carrier aircraft was also used to reset the device, and a Pegasus-type rocket was used to disperse the GZLA. The launch was made at an altitude of 12 km. The separation of the device from the Pegasus booster occurred at an altitude of 29 km, then the ramjet engine was turned on, which worked for 10 seconds.

With high-speed planning with a decrease, it was possible to achieve a speed of 7 Mach, that is, 8350 km / h. According to other sources, the speed of the X-43A was 11,265 km / h (or 9.8 M) at an altitude of 33.5 km. According to expert estimates, a lower flight speed is more realistic. The results of this experiment were the basis for the creation of a new GZLA type X-51A.

A consortium of three organizations - the US Air Force Research Laboratory AFRL (Air Force Research Laboratory) and Boeing and Pratt & Whitney - has developed a program for the creation and flight testing of such a hypersonic aircraft.

The development of the GZLA was focused on the creation of a promising ramjet engine of the WaveRider type design. By 2009, Boeing and Pratt & Whitney corporations completed ground testing of the engine, including its fuel system. The Air Force AFRL laboratory allocated $ 250 million for testing. These funds were intended for four test flights, which were to take place in late October - early November 2009.

Boeing Corporation built four prototypes (experimental samples) of the GZLA. According to the project, a hypersonic vehicle of the X-51A type should reach speeds of up to 7 Machs.

After a cycle of flight tests, a decision should be made on further financing of the project or its termination. Boeing itself expressed its intention to build two more samples for additional flight tests. All experimental GZLA samples were disposable. At the same time, according to official statements, the X-51A was not a model of weapons, but only serves to model and develop new technologies. Already on the basis of the results obtained, the Department of Defense was to order the development of new types of hypersonic missile weapons for the US Army. Boeing Corporation also intends to continue work on the X-51A on its own initiative in order to create on its basis a promising GZKR of the X-51A + type.

According to the developers, this promising hypersonic missile (X-51A +) will be able to dramatically change the direction of flight, independently find a target, identify it and destroy it in conditions of active electronic countermeasures. The corresponding on-board control systems for the GZLA are already being created with funding from the US Air Force.

Tests at the initial stage were carried out in a static mode with a mock-up of an experimental hypersonic vehicle X-51A suspended under the B-52H bomber, from which the launch will be carried out, to check compatibility electronic systems aircraft and GZLA.

The Boeing X-51A first flew in December 2009 as a suspended load under the wing of a B-52 bomber (see Figure 2). During the experimental flight, a study was made of the effect of a suspended rocket on the controllability of the aircraft, as well as the interaction of the X-51A and B-52 electronic systems. The flight lasted about 1.4 hours.

An experimental hypersonic aircraft of the Boeing X-51A type uses the booster stage of the ATACMS operational-tactical missile. The use of a solid propellant booster of this design suggests the following typical scheme for the use of the GZLA. After the hypersonic vehicle is dropped at an altitude of about 10 km from the B-52N, the first stage of the GZLA (the first stage of the OTP ATACMS) is turned on and the vehicle accelerates to 4-5 M with a climb in the range of 20-30 km. Then its separation takes place and the second stage of the “waveship” type is switched on based on a new-design ramjet engine and accelerates the device to 7-8 M with the subsequent inclination of the GZLA to the attacked ground object.

The analysis of the results of the development and testing of a hypersonic aircraft of the Boeing X-51A type allows us to draw the following conclusions:

1. The actual results obtained to date on achieving hypersonic speed (5 M) and the analysis of the speed requirements for promising models of GZLA (7 M) show that the maximum speed of a promising hypersonic aircraft with a ramjet is a speed of about 6-7 M. Achieving high speeds (up to 10 M) in the short and medium term seems to be difficult to implement due to the limit of the energy capabilities of the jet fuel of the JP series and the limitations on the thermal stability of the existing (serial) structural materials for the long-term flight of the GZLA.

2. The near-wall plasma formation, which occurs when the aircraft reaches a speed of 9.5-10 M, causes interruptions in the operation of the on-board radio facilities of the GZLA guidance system and also limits the guidance of aircraft at such speeds.

3. The mass and size dimensions of the experimental sample of the GZLA are currently determined by the required supply of jet fuel and the dimensions of the ramjet engine and are about 4.5 meters long, the diameter of the circumscribed circle is about 0.5 meters. In the future, with the additional deployment of a standard US nuclear charge (approximate length - 1.1 meters, diameter - 0.3 meters) as part of the GZLA combat model, the length of the apparatus (glider) can be increased to approximately 5-6 meters. With non-nuclear (high-explosive) combat equipment, the weight and size dimensions of such a GZKR will be even larger.

4. The use of frontal segmental air intakes, aerodynamic rudders and the general aerodynamic configuration of the “waveplane” type in the design of the apparatus causes a significant increase in its effective scattering surface (ESR) relative to base values EPR of cone-shaped bodies of revolution of similar sizes (such as MS BRSD).

5. As a result, a promising GZLA will have significant weight and size dimensions and reflective-radiative characteristics in the thermal and radar ranges at a relatively low average speed (not higher than 6 M).

The first solo test flight of the X-51A took place on May 26, 2010. The B‑52 Stratofortress bomber with the X‑51A at an altitude of 15 thousand meters above the Pacific Ocean dropped a missile suspended under the wing. After that, the upper stage (solid-fuel rocket booster) brought the device to a height of 19.8 thousand meters and accelerated it to 4.8 M. Max speed at 5 M was achieved by the device at an altitude of about 21.3 thousand meters.

After the acceleration of the GZLA, a hypersonic ramjet engine manufactured by Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne was turned on. Ethylene was used as the initiating liquid propellant. After that, the engine switched to fuel type JP-7 (Jet Propellant 7 - propellant standard MIL-T-38219), a mixed jet fuel based on hydrocarbons, including naphthalene, with the addition of lubricating fluorocarbons and an oxidizer.

But at the 110th second of the GZLA flight, a failure occurred. Then the engine was restored, the flight continued until the final failure occurred at the 143rd second of the flight. Communication was interrupted for three seconds, and the operators transmitted a command to self-destruct. It was not possible to dial the speed of 6 M. However, for the first flight of the GZLA, the task was to gain speed of only 4.5-5 M.

It was planned that the flight would last 250 seconds. Half of the fuel was used up, and the cause of the engine failure was recognized as poor sealing of the fuel system. In general, the tests were considered quite successful, and the result of the flight test was considered successful. According to experts, the device has completed 90% of the tasks. During the flight, it turned out that the device is not able to accelerate as quickly as expected, and heats up much more than expected. There were also interruptions in communication and telemetry transmission.

In general, according to the conclusion of the US Air Force Research Laboratory, the first flight of the X-51A GZLA was rated as successful. The flight time at this stage of experimental development was sufficient. After all, the previous record for the duration of a flight at hypersonic speed was only 12 seconds.

During the second X-51A test on June 13, 2011, the engine failed again. But this time it was not possible to restart it, and the device fell into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. And this has already been regarded as a serious delay in the creation of a valid sample. According to the conclusion of the emergency commission, the cause of the GZLA accident was a failure in the ramjet engine.

On May 1, 2013, the fourth launch of the GZLA was carried out (see Figure 4), as a result of the flight test, a speed of 5.1 Mach was achieved, the flight lasted about six minutes, of which the ramjet engine worked for three and a half minutes. The accelerator provided speed gain up to Mach 4.8, ramjet - up to Mach 5.1, using JP-7 type fuel.

Preparation for the fourth experiment

The decision on the further development of the GZKR combat model based on the Boeing X-51A GZLA has not yet been made.

In general, taking into account these problems, the creation of a combat sample of the GZKR based on the experimental hypersonic aircraft Boeing X-51 A seems unlikely.

Boeing X‑37 hypersonic aircraft

At present, the United States also continues to create the technological backlog necessary for the development of single-stage aerospace aircraft (VKS). It is based on the results obtained during the implementation of the NASP program.

At this stage of understanding the capabilities of the VCS, its tasks and conditions of use, an aerospace aircraft is an aircraft of an aircraft scheme that is capable of independently taking off from conventional airfields, entering low Earth orbit and long-term orbital flight, aerodynamic maneuvering in the Earth's atmosphere in order to change parameters orbit, deorbit and landing at a given airfield.

However, at the moment there is no specific version of a full-scale VKS, that is, an aircraft that fully meets the requirements of the US Department of Defense for combat aircraft of this type. The expected appearance of the VKS, its main performance characteristics and possible ways combat use were assessed on the basis of the general target orientation of the tasks assigned to space weapons, and the basic requirements imposed by American military specialists on the aerospace forces.

The appearance of the basic experimental sample-demonstrator of the videoconferencing system was expected no earlier than 2014-2015. At present, a prototype of such an aerospace aircraft has indeed been created in the United States - an experimental hypersonic aircraft Boeing X-37.

The Boeing X‑37 hypersonic aircraft (see Figure 5) is an experimental orbital aircraft designed to test advanced industrial technologies for launching into orbit and descending into the atmosphere. According to experts, the Boeing X-37 (Unmanned Space Shuttle) is a 120% larger derivative of the Boeing X-40A GZLA.

At present, when carrying out engineering calculations, the following are accepted: performance characteristics this GZLA:

Length: 8.9 m

Wingspan: 4.5 m

Height: 2.9 m

Takeoff weight: 4 989 kg

Rocketdyne AR-2/3 rocket engine

Payload weight: 900 kg

Cargo compartment: 2.1×1.2 m

The aircraft is designed to operate at altitudes from 200 to 750 km, is able to quickly change orbits, maneuver, can perform various reconnaissance missions, deliver small cargoes into space (and return them).

Work on the creation of an aircraft of the X-37 type has been carried out in the United States since the 1950s. The X-37B program was launched in 1999 by NASA in conjunction with the Boeing Corporation. The cost of developing an experimental spacecraft was about $173 million.

The first test flight - testing the GZLA glider by dropping - was made on April 7, 2006. The first space flight took place on April 22, 2010 at 19:52 local time. For launch, an Atlas-5 launch vehicle was used, the launch site was the SLC-41 launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Base. The launch was successful. During the flight, navigation systems, controls, a heat-shielding shell and an autonomous operation system of the device were tested.

On December 3, 2010, the X-37V aerospace plane returned to Earth, the orbital plane spent 225 days in space. The landing, like the flight, was carried out in automatic mode and was carried out at 09:16 UTC on the runway of the Vandenberg Air Force Base, located northwest of Los Angeles (California).

During its stay in orbit, the X-37B suffered about seven skin damage as a result of a collision with space debris. During landing, the landing gear wheel also burst. Fragments of rubber that flew off caused minor damage to the lower part of the fuselage of the device. Despite the fact that the landing gear tire burst when touching the runway, the device did not deviate from the course and continued braking, keeping exactly the middle of the runway.

The US Air Force, together with the Boeing concern, began preparing the second X-37B apparatus for launch into space. The next launch of X-37 B-2 (OTV-2) was scheduled for March 4, 2011. The launch time, the flight program and the cost of the project were classified. The tests of the device were carried out in a wider orbit under complicated conditions for leaving it and landing approach. The OTV‑2 program has been expanded compared to OTV‑1.

On March 5, 2011, the spacecraft was launched into orbit by an Atlas-5 launch vehicle launched from Cape Canaveral. The second X-37B will be used to test sensor instruments and satellite systems. On June 16, 2012, the aircraft landed at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, spending 468 days and 13 hours in orbit, orbiting the Earth more than seven thousand times.

Another unmanned spacecraft X-37B was launched using an Atlas-5 launch vehicle from the Cape Canaveral launch site on December 11, 2012. As before, no details about the tasks of the mission were officially announced.

The purposes for which the US Air Force is going to use the orbital aircraft are not currently disclosed. According to the official version, its main function will be the delivery of special cargo into orbit. According to other versions, the Boeing X-37 GZLA will also be used for reconnaissance purposes. The most plausible purpose of this apparatus is to develop technologies for a future space interceptor, which allows inspecting alien space objects and, if necessary, incapacitating them by kinetic action. This purpose of the device is fully consistent with the document "US National Space Policy" of 2006, which proclaims the right of the United States to partially extend national sovereignty to outer space.

The US Air Force has officially stated that the X-37B is designed for a maximum stay in space for 270 days, although the second space flight lasted 468 days and 13 hours in orbit.

The device is equipped with solar panels and lithium-ion on-board batteries. The given values of the lift-to-drag ratio and the characteristic velocity margin make it possible to change the inclination of the initial orbit by 25-300. At the same time, according to a number of expert estimates, it is possible to reduce the UQV in the atmosphere to a height of 50-60 km.

The flight of the VCS in the dense layers of the atmosphere is characterized by unfavorable conditions for the operation of onboard reconnaissance, aiming, and communications systems due to high velocity pressures, thermal loads, and plasma formation.

The average values of the RCS of such an aerospace aircraft in the wavelength range λ=3-10 cm, observation angle 90±45° (board) and the probability level of 0.5 are about 5-10-20 m2 (in the plasma formation zone they can reach up to 50-100 m2). Intense plasma production during the UML entry into the dense layers of the atmosphere is predicted in the altitude range of 70-50 km with further attenuation towards the dense layers of the atmosphere. Therefore, based on the current understanding of the capabilities of the Aerospace Forces, it is assumed that orbital flight will be the main flight mode of the Aerospace Forces when performing combat missions. To a lesser extent, the combat use of VKS is also possible in the area of deorbiting before entering the dense layers of the atmosphere (H = 90-120 km).

In general, the Aerospace Forces may be entrusted with the solution of transport tasks in the interests of providing the US orbital constellation, conducting reconnaissance from space and inspecting orbital objects.

Delivering high-precision strikes from space (from orbits of about 200 km) against ground targets seems unlikely (it is worth remembering how many forecasts about the possibilities of combat use of reusable spaceship The Shuttle was made in the 1980s!). Moreover, no such tests of the X-37 with impact on ground targets from orbit have been registered over the past period.

It should be noted that such tests will be regarded as a violation of the Treaty on the principles of the activities of states in the exploration and use of outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies of October 10, 1967. In accordance with Article IV of this Treaty, “the States Parties to the Treaty undertake not to put into orbit around the Earth any objects with nuclear weapons or any other types of weapons of mass destruction…”.

In general, the analysis showed that the Boeing X-37 hypersonic aircraft is designed to perform special (reconnaissance and transport) tasks in space and has limited combat capabilities.

Gliding head of the Falcon HTV‑2

Previously, the United States also carried out a number of exploratory work in the field of creating strategic non-nuclear ballistic missiles (the development of the Minuteman-2 ICBM with a non-nuclear warhead) as part of the HAWD (Hypersonic Aerodynamic Weapon Definition) project.

The concept was based on the results of work on the creation of the AMaRV (Advanced Maneuvering Reentry Vehicle) maneuvering warhead, which was tested three times in the first half of the 1980s. Obviously, these tests were quite successful, since the US National Research Council in 2008 recommended in its report that the AMaRV warhead be used as a prototype for the first rocket-glide system.

As one of the options for such a system, a planning warhead (PGV) or a planning warhead (PBG) was considered, the development of which was carried out in the USA under the HWT (Hypersonic Weapon Technology) program. The technical appearance of this device was a gliding warhead designed according to the "integrated body-wing" scheme, and was the basis for further developments.

The basis for the development of the PBG was the Boost-Glide hypersonic aircraft (the SBGV - Strategic Boost Glide Vehicle program, which was developed by the Air Force), which has the ability to perform a long controlled hypersonic gliding flight after acceleration in the altitude range from 60 to 30 km.

At the same time, it has been repeatedly noted that a gliding warhead (if it successfully solves the problems of detecting, tracking and guiding missile defense systems) becomes a more vulnerable target even compared to other warheads (such as BB ICBMs, HF IRBMs). Firstly, due to its large dimensions, its vulnerable area and RCS are several times higher than those of other BCs, and secondly, the wings in the planning area in the atmosphere become the main vulnerable compartments, since their destruction (even with combat-ready equipment) makes impossible to deliver a planned strike on an object (Figure 6).

According to expert estimates, such gliding warheads are capable of effectively overcoming the existing Russian aerospace defense system and have the best flight performance among all promising enemy GZLA.

The most promising development of the GZLA at present is the project of a Falcon-type hypersonic vehicle, created as part of the HTV program of the US Department of Defense Advanced Research Agency (DARPA).

The combat use of this GZLA provides for the launch of the device into space on an ICBM (outside the zone of control of the early warning system), the acceleration of the GZLA to hypersonic speed and the covert overcoming of air defense zones over the country's territory in the aerodynamic planning mode.

The programs and prospects for the creation of such GZLA were well covered in 2013 in the book “Silver Bullet?” James M. Acton, co-director of the Carnegie Endowment Nuclear Policy Program for international world. It was noted that the use of hypersonic aircraft of the Falcon HTV-2 type in the future can provide covert overcoming of the detection zone of both the PRN and air defense systems and inflicting a surprise nuclear strike on the highest levels of state and military administration of the Russian Federation.

The main feature of such hypersonic aircraft, which determines the probability of delivering warheads to the target, is high-speed maneuvers that change intensively in module and direction. Such features of the flight performance of gliding warheads are due to high aerodynamic quality and high hypersonic target attack speeds (5

These GZLA combined those features of modern missile and aviation weapons that are decisive for the effective overcoming of modern layered air defense systems. Of all the SVKNs, only ballistic missiles equipped with high-aerodynamic missiles (PGCh) provide an almost global kill zone (warhead delivery) with hypersonic speeds comparable to the speed of ICBMs (SLBMs).

At high hypersonic speeds and intercontinental flight range, PBGs are a weapon for the high-precision delivery of non-nuclear munitions and nuclear warheads of small and ultra-small equivalent, which, using homing and space navigation systems, ensure the accuracy of CEP = 5-10 m.

It was also noted by James M. Acton that currently only one program, HTV‑2, is being implemented in this area and its funding has been reduced to a minimum.

Previously, a number of flight tests of such GZLAs were carried out as part of the ATV and HTV research programs (Fig. 7), which confirmed the potential use of hypersonic aerospace attack weapons.

During the flight tests of the GZLA, both the direct guidance of the gliding warhead on the attacked object and the possible lateral maneuvers of the device relative to the firing plane were worked out. Flight tests were carried out by the DARPA Agency at the R. Reagan Pacific missile defense test site. The launch of the GZLA was carried out on the test ballistic track of the Vandenberg AB (California) - the combat field of the fall of the missile defense range (Hawaii). The longitudinal deviation from the calculated trajectory of the GZLA with planning was about 1250 km.

It should be noted that the use of strategic ballistic missiles for the withdrawal of such GZLA even from other positional areas (Diego Garcia Island) and patrol areas at sea raises serious concerns due to the possibility of triggering a warning system about a Russian missile attack and the threat of a retaliatory (nuclear) strike.

At the same time, the fact that the DARPA Advanced Research Agency currently manages the test program shows that the tests of the planning warhead are also of an exploratory nature, and in the near and medium term, the likelihood of transferring this program to the development stage largely depends on the test results. prototype - technology demonstrator.

No direct threat

The current level of development of all the above GZLA samples - the Boeing X-51A hypersonic cruise missile, the Boeing X-37 aerospace aircraft, the Falcon HTV-2 gliding head - is clearly insufficient to transfer these research programs to the R&D stage.

The general slowdown in the development of these hypersonic aircraft and the lack of an approved concept for the combat use of GZLA with non-nuclear equipment also suggests that in the near future, strategic ballistic and cruise missiles will remain the main means of "rapid global strike" as part of the US strategic offensive weapons.

The above review of the problems identified during flight tests of hypersonic aircraft in the United States shows that the creation of similar types of weapons in the Russian Federation is impractical. In this case, we repeat the sad experience of creating an analogue of the laser aviation complex (ABL), which, after a series of successful flight experiments in the United States, was first transferred from a weapon model to a research laboratory, and then completely sent to the “aircraft graveyard”.

First flight of the Boeing X-48C

A hypersonic aircraft is one whose speed can greatly exceed the speed of sound (1224 km / h), that is, approximately five to six thousand km / h. Such devices are now produced by several countries of the world. Russia also did not stand aside.

It must be said that the creation of various hypersonic aircraft in the world began in the second half of the last century. But today, of course, aircraft are becoming more sophisticated and have unprecedented advantages and capabilities.

Russia's Yu-71 hypersonic aircraft quickly moved from the development stage, which lasted for several years, to the testing stage last year. They tested a newly made aircraft near Orenburg. The plane will need about fifty minutes to cover the distance from the test sites to the US capital, and twenty minutes to London.

What can Yu-71 do?

Yu-71 was created to be used for military tasks. For example, a hypersonic aircraft will be able to deliver ammunition and other necessary devices in the shortest possible time and over long distances (nuclear warheads).

In addition, the Yu-71 is capable of monitoring the territory, as well as being used as an assault aircraft. The Russian hypersonic aircraft is capable of flying at speeds of more than eleven thousand km/h. All this is complemented by its extraordinary maneuverability, which even allows you to go into near space.

How and why are they planning to use the Yu-71?

According to some experts, in the next decade it is planned to introduce about twenty aircraft into the Strategic Missile Forces. They will be placed near the Dombarovsky settlement (Orenburg region). It should be noted that Yu-71 was developed in two modifications: ordinary and strategic.

There are many different opinions about the Yu-71. Some experts believe that this aircraft is a warhead, initially attached to the missile, and then separated (at the end of its flight). The meaning of this lies in the possibility of overcoming air defense systems by a hypersonic aircraft.

There is also evidence that the Yu-71 is nothing more than one of the parts of the 4202 project, which is secret. Russia allegedly intends to launch a hypersonic project in order to put pressure on the United States. Negotiations on arms control in this case can go very well.

What will be the fate of the Russian Yu-71 aircraft is unknown. We can only wait and follow the developments.