F-22Raptor
ELITE MEMBER
- Joined
- Jun 19, 2014
- Messages
- 16,980
- Reaction score
- 3
- Country
- Location
An influential Pentagon advisory board has recommended the U.S. military quickly develop and field an interim capability to defeat hypersonic weapon threats, launching a program to develop a defensive capability against a new-class of ultra-high-speed strike systems that are the focus of an race between Washington, Beijing and Moscow.
Missile Defense Agency Director Lt. Gen. Sam Greaves previewed findings of the not-yet-public Defense Science Board's 2017 summer study on hypersonic strike weapons in written testimony prepared for the Senate Armed Services strategic forces subcommittee on March 21.
Greaves said the Pentagon's $120 million request in fiscal year 2019 to advance the new-start hypersonic defense program MDA launched in FY-18 at congressional direction carries out the DSB's advice.
"This effort will execute the Defense Science Board’s recommendations to develop and deliver a set of materiel solutions to address and defeat hypersonic threats informed by a set of near-term technology demonstrations," Greaves wrote.
The DSB study on Countering Anti-Access Systems With Longer Range and Standoff Capabilities is not yet public; an unclassified summary of the final report is expected as soon as April, according to Pentagon spokeswoman Lt. Col. Michelle Baldanza.
Last summer, the Defense Intelligence Ballistic Missile Analysis Committee in collaboration with the Air Force's National Air and Space Intelligence Center identified hypersonic glide vehicles -- being developed by Russia and China to penetrate U.S. ballistic missile defenses -- as an "emerging threat." For a decade, the U.S. military has been developing technologies to support an intermediate-range hypersonic strike weapon; the Pentagon plans to identify a formal acquisition program for an offensive capability in 2020.
Meantime, MDA -- established in 2004 to focus primarily on ballistic and cruise missile threats -- is now leading the new effort to develop a fledgling program to counter hypersonic boost glide threats. Intercontinental ballistic missiles move at hypersonic speeds -- 20 times the speed of sound -- on trajectories that are predictable.
Hypersonic boost glide weapons fly a different path. After being lifted by rocket near the edge of the atmosphere, the experimental payload separates from its booster rocket near space and flies a flatter, non-ballistic trajectory, gliding unpowered at speeds of at least Mach 5 to its destination. Their ability to maneuver gives this potential new class of weapons the ability to penetrate current air defenses.
The new hypersonic defense program, according to Greaves, consists of a number of efforts, including systems engineering and efforts to "identify and mature the full kill-chain technology" to counter hypersonic threats. MDA is looking for "target-of-opportunity events" and execute near-term, "space-sensor technology and multidomain command-and-control capability upgrades to address defense from hypersonic threats."
"An integrated set of enhancements will provide incremental capability measured by progress and knowledge points in the following areas: establishment of systems engineering needs and requirements to identify alternative material solutions; execution of a series of sensor technology demonstrations; modification of existing BMDS sensors and the C2BMC element for hypersonic threats; and definition of weapon concepts and investments in key technologies to enable a broad set of solutions, including kinetic and non-kinetic means," according to Greaves.
MDA is currently conducting an analysis of alternatives to explore potential materiel solutions for a hypersonic defense capability. That analysis, often a precursor to a major weapons program, is running behind schedule.
The FY-18 omnibus appropriations act cut MDA's $75 million request to launch the hypersonic defense program to $60 million, peeling back $15 million because the funding was "Early to need pending completion of analysis of alternatives." The FY-18 budget request anticipated the AOA being complete this spring; the FY-19 budget request anticipates the AOA being complete this summer.
https://insidedefense.com/daily-new...hment-near-term-hypersonic-defense-capability
Missile Defense Agency Director Lt. Gen. Sam Greaves previewed findings of the not-yet-public Defense Science Board's 2017 summer study on hypersonic strike weapons in written testimony prepared for the Senate Armed Services strategic forces subcommittee on March 21.
Greaves said the Pentagon's $120 million request in fiscal year 2019 to advance the new-start hypersonic defense program MDA launched in FY-18 at congressional direction carries out the DSB's advice.
"This effort will execute the Defense Science Board’s recommendations to develop and deliver a set of materiel solutions to address and defeat hypersonic threats informed by a set of near-term technology demonstrations," Greaves wrote.
The DSB study on Countering Anti-Access Systems With Longer Range and Standoff Capabilities is not yet public; an unclassified summary of the final report is expected as soon as April, according to Pentagon spokeswoman Lt. Col. Michelle Baldanza.
Last summer, the Defense Intelligence Ballistic Missile Analysis Committee in collaboration with the Air Force's National Air and Space Intelligence Center identified hypersonic glide vehicles -- being developed by Russia and China to penetrate U.S. ballistic missile defenses -- as an "emerging threat." For a decade, the U.S. military has been developing technologies to support an intermediate-range hypersonic strike weapon; the Pentagon plans to identify a formal acquisition program for an offensive capability in 2020.
Meantime, MDA -- established in 2004 to focus primarily on ballistic and cruise missile threats -- is now leading the new effort to develop a fledgling program to counter hypersonic boost glide threats. Intercontinental ballistic missiles move at hypersonic speeds -- 20 times the speed of sound -- on trajectories that are predictable.
Hypersonic boost glide weapons fly a different path. After being lifted by rocket near the edge of the atmosphere, the experimental payload separates from its booster rocket near space and flies a flatter, non-ballistic trajectory, gliding unpowered at speeds of at least Mach 5 to its destination. Their ability to maneuver gives this potential new class of weapons the ability to penetrate current air defenses.
The new hypersonic defense program, according to Greaves, consists of a number of efforts, including systems engineering and efforts to "identify and mature the full kill-chain technology" to counter hypersonic threats. MDA is looking for "target-of-opportunity events" and execute near-term, "space-sensor technology and multidomain command-and-control capability upgrades to address defense from hypersonic threats."
"An integrated set of enhancements will provide incremental capability measured by progress and knowledge points in the following areas: establishment of systems engineering needs and requirements to identify alternative material solutions; execution of a series of sensor technology demonstrations; modification of existing BMDS sensors and the C2BMC element for hypersonic threats; and definition of weapon concepts and investments in key technologies to enable a broad set of solutions, including kinetic and non-kinetic means," according to Greaves.
MDA is currently conducting an analysis of alternatives to explore potential materiel solutions for a hypersonic defense capability. That analysis, often a precursor to a major weapons program, is running behind schedule.
The FY-18 omnibus appropriations act cut MDA's $75 million request to launch the hypersonic defense program to $60 million, peeling back $15 million because the funding was "Early to need pending completion of analysis of alternatives." The FY-18 budget request anticipated the AOA being complete this spring; the FY-19 budget request anticipates the AOA being complete this summer.
https://insidedefense.com/daily-new...hment-near-term-hypersonic-defense-capability
