The SC
ELITE MEMBER
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2012
- Messages
- 32,233
- Reaction score
- 21
- Country
- Location
September 7, 2021
China has reportedly achieved a breakthrough in its research into hypersonic missile technology, which could give the communist country a decisive edge over its arch-rival US.
Hypersonic weapons, capable of traveling at five times or more the speed of sound (minimum speed of 1.6km per second), are the new focus of the global arms race. The US, Russia, and China are developing and testing these ultra-fast munitions, with the latter two being far more successful.
Moscow and Beijing have so far been locked in a tight neck-to-neck race. However, with the researchers from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) recently revealing technological improvements they’ve made, China might have gained an edge in this arena of weapons.
It could soon be applying the hypersonic speed capability to arms other than missiles!
China’s Hypersonic Arsenal
Hypersonic weapons are of two types: hypersonic cruise missiles and hypersonic boost-glide vehicles. The former type is powered by rockets or jets throughout their flight and is a much swifter version of existing cruise missiles.
The latter type is launched into the upper atmosphere on top of existing ballistic missiles, and then releases hypersonic glide vehicles (HGVs) which fly lower, faster, and, to an enemy, quite unpredictably.
China has two lethal hypersonic missiles. The first one, Dong Feng-17 (DF-17), is a medium-range missile or MRBM system equipped with an HGV. It is capable of carrying conventional or nuclear weapons and has a reported speed of Mach 5-10.
For Image For Representation
With a range of 1,800-2,500km and a launch weight of 15,000kgs, the DF-17 is a nightmare for all adversaries. However, this missile’s status remains unclear, although its appearance in China’s October 2019 military parade has raised speculation that it may have entered PLA service.
The second is the DF-ZF HGV that can travel at speeds between Mach 5-10. It is apparently capable of performing “extreme maneuvers” to evade enemy defenses. The DF-17 has been designed to work specifically with the DF-ZF, exponentially amplifying both these weapons’ powers.
The DF-11 and DF-15 are also expected to be capable of operating with this glider.
A Major Breakthrough
There has been a growing interest in applying hypersonic technology to drones and other military aircraft, especially jets. However, for such vehicles, landing on airstrips, especially when they have been traveling at close to 5 times the speed of sound, is exceptionally difficult.
Doing such a landing in dangerous and immediate military settings is even harder.
Software, which often helps find the optimum path for descending for aircraft, becomes somewhat redundant when the computations need to be done for a vehicle moving at hypervelocity. This has been a major roadblock for further developing the hypersonic technology for both Beijing and Moscow.
https://eurasiantimes.com/hypersoni...a-learns-to-land-its-ultra-fast-missiles/?amp
China has reportedly achieved a breakthrough in its research into hypersonic missile technology, which could give the communist country a decisive edge over its arch-rival US.
Hypersonic weapons, capable of traveling at five times or more the speed of sound (minimum speed of 1.6km per second), are the new focus of the global arms race. The US, Russia, and China are developing and testing these ultra-fast munitions, with the latter two being far more successful.
Moscow and Beijing have so far been locked in a tight neck-to-neck race. However, with the researchers from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) recently revealing technological improvements they’ve made, China might have gained an edge in this arena of weapons.
It could soon be applying the hypersonic speed capability to arms other than missiles!
China’s Hypersonic Arsenal
Hypersonic weapons are of two types: hypersonic cruise missiles and hypersonic boost-glide vehicles. The former type is powered by rockets or jets throughout their flight and is a much swifter version of existing cruise missiles.
The latter type is launched into the upper atmosphere on top of existing ballistic missiles, and then releases hypersonic glide vehicles (HGVs) which fly lower, faster, and, to an enemy, quite unpredictably.
China has two lethal hypersonic missiles. The first one, Dong Feng-17 (DF-17), is a medium-range missile or MRBM system equipped with an HGV. It is capable of carrying conventional or nuclear weapons and has a reported speed of Mach 5-10.
For Image For Representation
With a range of 1,800-2,500km and a launch weight of 15,000kgs, the DF-17 is a nightmare for all adversaries. However, this missile’s status remains unclear, although its appearance in China’s October 2019 military parade has raised speculation that it may have entered PLA service.
The second is the DF-ZF HGV that can travel at speeds between Mach 5-10. It is apparently capable of performing “extreme maneuvers” to evade enemy defenses. The DF-17 has been designed to work specifically with the DF-ZF, exponentially amplifying both these weapons’ powers.
The DF-11 and DF-15 are also expected to be capable of operating with this glider.
A Major Breakthrough
There has been a growing interest in applying hypersonic technology to drones and other military aircraft, especially jets. However, for such vehicles, landing on airstrips, especially when they have been traveling at close to 5 times the speed of sound, is exceptionally difficult.
Doing such a landing in dangerous and immediate military settings is even harder.
Software, which often helps find the optimum path for descending for aircraft, becomes somewhat redundant when the computations need to be done for a vehicle moving at hypervelocity. This has been a major roadblock for further developing the hypersonic technology for both Beijing and Moscow.
https://eurasiantimes.com/hypersoni...a-learns-to-land-its-ultra-fast-missiles/?amp
