Scientific and design organizations in the United States continue to work on the creation of promising hypersonic weapons systems. Recently there was another news about one of these projects. DARPA and the relevant US Air Force authorities reviewed the received technical proposals for the Tactical Boost Glide program and selected the most successful project to be developed. Raytheon was awarded the contract for the required work.
On March 5, the press service of the "Raytheon" company announced the victory in the competitive part of the promising Tactical Boost Glide program. The Advanced Research Projects Agency DARPA has signed a contract with the company for $ 63.3 million. Now Raytheon, DARPA and the US Air Force must jointly continue research and development work, the result of which is expected to be a prototype, and then a full-fledged advanced weapon model.
In a press release on the receipt of the contract, Thomas Bassing, vice president of Raytheon Advanced Missile Systems, is quoted. He noted that the new order from DARPA joins the growing number of hypersonic programs being carried out by Raytheon. The company works closely with its customers, which is necessary for the rapid creation and implementation of new developments. The purpose of all this, according to T. Bassing, is to provide the armed forces with new tools suitable for responding to current threats.
Unfortunately, DAPRA and Raytheon do not provide any new technical or organizational details. Also, the expected completion dates and their prospects in the context of real rearmament remain unknown.
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The first reports of a new DARPA program called Tactical Boost Glide ("Tactical gliding winged warhead") appeared last summer. Then it was reported that the Agency plans to attract several defense enterprises for the further development of promising hypersonic weapons. In the coming years, it was planned to conduct the necessary research and development work.
According to the foreign press, the goal of the TBG project is to create a missile system that includes a booster rocket and a planning warhead. The latter should develop a speed of the order of M = 5 and show a flight range of 500 nautical miles (926 km). Some of the features of the project were not disclosed.
Last summer, it became known that Lockheed Martin and Raytheon would like to participate in the TBG program. In mid-July, Aviation Week wrote that Raytheon refused to discuss the company's participation in the new DARPA project. At the same time, it was noted that negotiations are already underway, based on the results of which the necessary decision will be made. Information of this kind about the Lockheed Martin project has not become public knowledge.
Some information about the TBG program is provided in a short note on the official DARPA website. The official material reminds that weapons systems with a flight speed of more than 5 speeds of sound have a high combat potential, since they are capable of covering long distances in a minimum time. Such weapons can provide a significant increase in the striking power of the American army, including in the face of increasing enemy potential.
Tactical Boost Glide is a joint program between DARPA and the United States Air Force. The purpose of this program is to study and develop technologies, on the basis of which it will be possible in the future to create new types of hypersonic air-based tactical weapons. Such a weapon will be made in the form of a complex that includes a booster rocket and a planning warhead.
According to DARPA, the TBG program has three main objectives. The first is confirmation of the fundamental possibility of creating an aircraft with the desired characteristics. It is necessary at a theoretical level to substantiate the possibility of implementing a project that meets the customer's requirements. The second task is to confirm the effectiveness of promising weapons under the intended conditions of use. The third challenge is accessibility. Both a technology demonstrator and future mass-produced combat products should not be expensive and difficult to operate.
The TBG program is divided into two phases. During the tests, it is planned to carry out checks on the ground and in the air. This will allow to work out critical technologies and show the real capabilities of the system created on its basis. It is proposed to use a systematic approach to form the appearance of the demonstrator and subsequent work on the combat system.
Within the framework of the new TBG project, DARPA specialists propose to use the already mastered technologies created within the framework of previous programs. So, the source of the necessary solutions can be the Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2 (HTV-2) project, also known as the DARPA Falcon Project.
On March 2, a few days before the news about the contract with Raytheon appeared, the director of the DARPA agency Stephen Walker revealed part of the plans for the current 2019. According to him, this year DARPA will conduct a lot of tests of hypersonic weapons. The exact types of products planned for testing were not named. S. Walker also said that the United States leadership allocates insufficient funding for the development of hypersonic technologies.
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Taking into account all the available data about the Tactical Boost Glide project, you can get a rough picture of the events. The program started last year, and so far, two US defense companies have prepared their options for preliminary designs. The most successful DARPA and the Air Force considered the development of Raytheon Advanced Missile Systems. Now this company has to master $ 63.3 million and present a new version of the project. Whether the newest contract provides for the construction and testing of prototypes is unknown. Perhaps this work will be carried out under the next agreement.
Of great interest is the concept of weapons proposed by DARPA for implementation in the TBG program. We are talking about an aviation missile system of a tactical or operational-tactical level, built with the use of a planning warhead. Architecturally, this would be a typical boost-glide weapon, with two main elements: a missile and a gliding warhead. The customer's wishes in terms of flight performance are known.
The name of the project mentions the tactical scope of the promising weapon, which may be a hint at some of its technical features. It can be assumed that the TBG complex will have limited dimensions and weight, which will allow it to be used with front-line aviation aircraft. However, the finished product may turn out to be larger and heavier, because of which the tactical missile will have to be used by strategic bombers.
If the assumptions about the small dimensions of the complex are true, then Raytheon will have to solve a number of difficult problems. First of all, it is necessary to adapt existing technologies for a new project with its characteristic limitations. It also requires a similar reworking of existing guidance and control solutions. If the task of reducing the size is absent, the project will still not be simple.
Modern projects of hypersonic complexes suggest the use of conventional and special warheads. Size limitations may result in the TBG warhead being able to carry only conventional charges. In addition, it is possible to use the kinetic method of hitting the target. DARPA and Raytheon are slow to clarify this topic.
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The United States is openly talking about the development of hypersonic strike systems in response to similar projects in Russia and China. In this regard, our country should create not only its own advanced weapons, but also means of protection against foreign threats. In the context of the TBG program and other projects of this nature, creating effective remedies can be extremely difficult.
It is believed and constantly mentioned that the hypersonic gliding warhead is a weapon unique in its properties. Intercepting it is a daunting task for any air and missile defense. A high flight speed reduces the possible response time to a threat, and also makes it difficult or impossible for an anti-aircraft missile to intercept.
It is easy to calculate that a TBG product at a speed of M = 5 is, in theory, capable of flying to a maximum range in less than 10 minutes. Loss of speed during gliding will slightly increase this time. Thus, to combat such weapons, an air defense system is required that is capable of detecting a threat at the maximum possible range, and then intercepting a target moving along an unpredictable trajectory at hypersonic speed. Probably the most convenient way to deal with such a threat is to intercept carrier aircraft, which also has its own complexities.
How Russia and China will respond to the potential threat in the form of Tactical Boost Glide from DARPA and Raytheon is unclear. Our country is currently developing promising air defense systems and missile defense systems, which are expected to differ from their predecessors in increased technical and combat characteristics. It cannot be ruled out that, for example, in the S-500 project, the ability to combat hypersonic aerodynamic targets was initially laid down.
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The United States has been conducting research into hypersonic technology for several years now, as well as building and testing prototypes of new types. Another program of this kind has recently reached the conclusion of a contract with a contractor. Now the "Raytheon" company has to develop the proposed ideas and bring them to the stage of technical design. It should then be expected to build and test TBG prototypes. If the desired results are obtained, the product is adapted for use in the armed forces.
The recent news of another agreement between DARPA and Raytheon, as well as the expected consequences of this event, are a serious signal for other countries whose relations with the United States are far from ideal. Russia and China, which the United States views as competitors and potential adversaries, should heed the latest news and take steps to protect their interests.
