On March 2, a press conference was held at the Pentagon on American hypersonic weapons projects. The head of research and engineering programs of the US Department of Defense Mark Lewis and his deputy, Mike White, in charge of hypersonic projects, spoke about the state and prospects of this direction. They talked about the progress of the work, and also answered a number of important questions.
Plans for the year
M. White said that new full-scale tests are planned for the current year as part of the hypersonic program, called Flight Experiment 2 ("Flight Experiment No. 2"). The exact date of their holding is classified. We are talking about an experimental sample that corresponds to the Prompt Global Strike concept. In the future, such products will be suitable for use by the army and naval forces. Other details have not yet been specified.
Pentagon representatives noted that so far, only experiments are being carried out within the framework of a promising program. Testing of full-fledged prototypes of hypersonic weapons will begin later, after the completion of ongoing research.
M. Lewis pointed out that his department and related organizations are not afraid of failures at the current stages. In addition, he noted that in the course of research work, there are two types of failures and difficulties: noble failor (noble failure) and dumb failor (stupid failure). The former ensure the accumulation of experience and contribute to the further development of the project.
The successes and failures of the near future will contribute to the further development of the program. Based on the accumulated experience, it is planned to create and test full-fledged samples of hypersonic weapons. The timing of these events has not been specified, but the leaders of the program say they are ready to supply weapons to the troops in 2025.
Basic approaches
According to M. Lewis, a specific picture is observed in the field of hypersonic weapons. In the past, the United States was a leader in this area and created advanced technologies, but then it was decided not to implement such systems in practice. Hypersonic systems have not entered service.
However, in the future, similar technologies appeared in other countries. Russia continued its own research and brought it to the desired results, and China was able to finance the rapid implementation of its own program. As a result, the United States found itself in the position of catching up, and now the Pentagon has to take action. Now a new stage of research is being carried out, and in the near future there will be products suitable for practical use.
The leaders of the hypersonic direction have revealed an interesting approach to the implementation of current projects. Now all the main scientific and design organizations from the Pentagon and the defense industry are participating in the development of new weapons. In addition, new participants are involved in projects with little experience in the military sphere. It is expected that a fresh perspective will contribute to a more effective development of the direction and the faster obtaining of the desired results.
Technique issues
The leaders of the direction indicated that work on hypersonic topics is actually being carried out on several projects and in the interests of all branches of the armed forces. At the same time, the issues of creating systems with a gliding warhead and cruise missiles with hypersonic flight speed are being worked out. Such products can enter service with the army, air force and navy - taking into account their needs.
At the moment, the main efforts are focused on the development of the boost-glide concept. It is less complex and uses a range of technologies and solutions already available. Along with this, there are advantages of a combat and tactical nature.
In parallel, the problem of cruise missiles with a ramjet engine is being investigated. This concept is based on already known and studied solutions, but it is necessary to continue the work. The leaders of the hypersonic program believe that such systems will also find application in the armed forces and contribute to the growth of defense capabilities.
Moreover, hypersonic cruise missiles of various types may become widespread. M. White spoke about the fundamental possibility of creating a variety of weapons of this class, compatible with a wide range of carriers. Hypersonic missiles can be used not only by heavy bombers, but also by tactical aviation, incl. modern fighters of the 4th and 5th generations. The rocket design can be adapted for different tasks.
At the moment, hypersonic missiles are considered as promising carriers of conventional warheads. The use of nuclear warheads in the current projects is not provided.
In parallel with the development of weapons, issues of countering them are being worked out. The main advantages of hypersonic weapons are associated with the extreme complexity of their detection and successful interception. Several American organizations are now studying the issue of timely detection and destruction of such complex targets. However, M. Lewis did not disclose the details of such works.
Solved tasks
Work on hypersonic topics has been going on for several years, and to date, a number of basic issues have been resolved. M. Lewis gave several examples of this. Thus, research on the topic of hypersonic ramjet engines for cruise missiles has been going on since 2010. To date, it has been possible to work out the main design features of such a product and reach practical tests.
Progress is also observed in the research area. Years of research have led to the accumulation of a large amount of data used in new works. Thus, the understanding of aerodynamic processes has reached a new level, which makes it possible to obtain more accurate results already at the stage of theoretical research.
Hypersonic Diversity
Currently, the United States is simultaneously implementing several projects of promising hypersonic weapons of the main classes. A number of scientific and design organizations are engaged in them; the initiators and customers of the work are different types of troops. All structures of the armed forces understand the importance of a promising direction and therefore do not want to stand aside.
The Air Force and a number of commercial enterprises can boast of significant successes. A hypersonic air-launched missile AGM-183A ARRW developed by Lockheed Martin is already being tested. It is expected to reach initial operational readiness in 2022.
Until recently, work was carried out under the Hypersonic Conventional Strike Weapon (HCSW) program, which provided for the construction of a boost-glide type complex. This project ran into serious problems, as a result of which it was closed. The released funding was redirected to more successful and promising developments.
In general, hypersonic systems of various classes and for various purposes are currently being developed in the United States. In the future, land-based long-range systems, light and heavy aircraft missiles, etc. may enter service. The first samples of these classes are expected to enter service in 2023-25. During a recent press conference, Pentagon officials reaffirmed these deadlines - new weapons will appear in the middle of the decade.
It is noteworthy that, despite all efforts, the rearmament of the US Army using promising hypersonic systems is still a matter of the future. Meanwhile, the main competitors of the United States in the person of China and Russia are not only developing such systems, but also beginning to introduce them into the troops. The gap is still there, and the Pentagon is doing everything it can to reduce it.
