At present, great hopes are pinned on promising hypersonic strike systems, the main element of which should be missiles with uniquely high flight characteristics. The leading countries of the world have been dealing with this topic for a relatively long time, and China joined them several years ago. Realizing the importance of such developments, the Chinese industry has already managed to create a new project, as well as conduct a series of tests and obtain certain results.
The existence of a Chinese project of a hypersonic strike aircraft became known several years ago. The army and defense industry of China are traditionally in no hurry to disclose the details of their promising projects, and therefore the existence of a ready-made hypersonic device became known only after the first test launch - in early 2014. Subsequently, the Chinese and foreign press repeatedly obtained and published new information about the promising project.
Model of the DF-ZF hypersonic vehicle for testing in a wind tunnel
For obvious reasons, China did not even announce the official name of its hypersonic aircraft project. In this regard, for some time, the project bore the symbol WU-14, assigned to it by American intelligence. Later, new designations appeared, applied to the same project. Now the promising product is called DF-17 or DF-ZF.
About four years ago, it became known not only about the existence of the project, but also about the first test run. According to the news of the beginning of 2014, the first flight of the WU-14 product took place on January 9. Messages about the start of tests of the Chinese hypersonic glider first appeared in the foreign press, and soon official Beijing confirmed them. At the same time, as noted by the Chinese Ministry of Defense, the launch was purely research in nature and was not part of a military project. However, experts and the press, not without reason, doubted the veracity of such clarifications.
According to foreign media reports, in 2014, China conducted two more test flights of the WU-14 / DF-ZF product. The second test launch took place on August 7, the third on December 2. It should be noted that at that time, various specialized publications could only report on the very fact of launches, as well as on the sites at which they were carried out. Other details were not available: the speed and range of the flight, as well as the main conclusions of the testers remained unknown.
In 2015, new test launches of a hypersonic vehicle were reported twice. The fourth test launch in a series was carried out on June 7. The fifth start took place on November 27. For some reason, later launches of the DF-ZF became a rare event. So, in 2016, China conducted only one test: the prototype passed along a given route in April. The latest check (or, according to other sources, checks) took place in November last year. According to various sources, one or two test launches took place in late fall 2017.
Only a few years after the start of the project and the start of test flights, the Chinese defense industry still published the appearance of a promising aircraft. In early October last year, the state-owned CCTV channel broadcast a report on new developments for the army, including hypersonic weapons. The report showed several large-scale models in which foreign intelligence services and specialists identified the models of a new hypersonic weapon. Among the samples shown, there was also a WU-14 / DF-ZF layout.
As in the recent past, most of the information of a technical nature has not been published, however, the demonstration of the layout of the hypersonic glider vehicle makes it possible to solidly supplement the already existing picture. Perhaps, in the future, new confirmed information will appear, which will allow for a more complete analysis of the situation and clarify the existing conclusions.
The Chinese project DF-ZF provides for the construction of a hypersonic aircraft of special shapes, characteristic of this kind of technology. It is proposed to build a low-wing glider with a delta wing of minimum aspect ratio. From the upper surface of the wing of the presented model literally grows a fuselage with a quadrangular cross-section, characterized by a low height and width. The project also provides for the use of a rudimentary vertical tail, which has the smallest possible size.
What is inside the fuselage and wing of such a glider is unknown. It can be assumed that for the tests, models of a different design with different internal filling were used. So, at the stage of checks in a wind tunnel, it was possible to do with models without any of their own equipment, but much more complex prototypes should participate in flight tests.
Apparently, the experienced WU-14 / DF-ZF, which have now completed seven or eight test flights, carry their own navigation and control devices. In addition, they must be equipped with monitoring and recording devices and means of transmitting data to the ground. In the course of further development, the combat version of the hypersonic apparatus will have to receive a warhead. What type of charge will be used is anyone's guess.
According to the known data, test launches of DF-ZF / DF-17 products were carried out using modified serial missiles. With their help, the prototype was brought to a given trajectory and accelerated to the required speed. Then the hypersonic device was dropped and continued its flight on its own, in accordance with the introduced program. The type of launch vehicle is unknown, but there have been speculations about the possible use of one of the latest ballistic missiles.
Wind tunnel layout
According to various estimates, in the future, after being put into service, the DF-ZF system can become a full-fledged combat equipment for several ballistic missiles created in recent years. The People's Liberation Army of China has recently received several medium and intercontinental-range missile systems, each of which, at least in theory, can be equipped with a new warhead in the form of a hypersonic aircraft. The lack of accurate information about the dimensions and weight of a full-fledged combat WU-14 / DF-ZF does not yet allow narrowing the circle of "applicants" for the position of its carrier.
In some analyzes, a medium-range ballistic missile of the DF-21 family is considered as a possible carrier of hypersonic combat equipment. Within the framework of this line, several missiles were developed, capable of sending a warhead to a range of up to 1700-2700 km. The mass of the combat load reaches several hundred kilograms. There is reason to believe that the use of a hypersonic aircraft capable of gliding in the atmosphere can significantly increase the combat radius of the missile system in comparison with "traditional" free-fall warheads. In this case, the DF-21 missile will be able to attack targets at distances of the order of 2-3 thousand km or more.
Another potential carrier of the DF-ZF / DF-17 can be considered the DF-31 intercontinental ballistic missile. Various modifications of such a product have a firing range of 8 or 11 thousand km. Correct use of the rocket's energy parameters in combination with the use of a hypersonic glider will significantly increase the firing range. In the same role, the DF-41 complex can also be used, which, in its current form, is capable of hitting targets at ranges of at least 12 thousand km.
Some of the missile systems considered as possible carriers of hypersonic combat equipment were originally made mobile. Thus, a modified complex with a fundamentally new warhead receives a number of characteristic capabilities. The lack of "binding" to a specific object and the possibility of launching a missile directly on the patrol route to a certain extent increases the combat capabilities and potential of the complex, regardless of the type of combat equipment.
The Chinese military and engineers are in no hurry to disclose accurate information about the characteristics of future weapons, which is why in this area so far it is necessary to rely only on various estimates. So, in the context of the WU-14 / DF-ZF project, the possibility of accelerating the airframe to a speed 5-10 times higher than the speed of sound was previously mentioned. Thus, the aircraft will be able to reach speeds from 6100 to 12,300 km / h. However, these are only estimates, and the actual characteristics of the aircraft may be much more modest than expected.
Obviously, the value of the maximum speed of a hypersonic vehicle that does not have its own power plant will be directly related to the type of launch vehicle and its characteristics. The speed of the glider and, as a consequence, the range of its independent flight directly depends on the characteristics of the rocket, which ensures its acceleration and output to a given trajectory. Thus, a medium-range ballistic missile will accelerate an aircraft worse than an intercontinental missile, which has a higher energy performance.
From the moment the first information about the WU-14 project appeared, experts have been trying to predict the purpose of the finished airframe. First of all, it is considered a more convenient and effective replacement for warheads for ballistic missiles, which has a number of characteristic features. Planning will provide a certain increase in the firing range, and will also allow combat equipment to maneuver. Due to the possibility of performing maneuvers on the descending flight segment, such a warhead will turn out to be an extremely difficult target for the anti-missile systems of a conventional enemy. Losses of strike weapons from missile defense will be reduced, and the effectiveness of a nuclear missile strike will increase.
Missile systems DF-21D
Several years ago, China unveiled its first anti-ship ballistic missile, the DF-21D, which also became the world's first representative of this unusual weapon class. Soon after the first reports of the existence of the Chinese hypersonic program appeared, attempts began to predict the future of the WU-14 / DF-ZF product as a weapon to combat enemy ships. As in the case with other issues, the possibility of using a hypersonic airframe as part of new anti-ship missiles has not yet been officially confirmed or denied.
The main task of the DF-21D ballistic anti-ship missile project was considered to ensure target search and guidance of the warhead while moving along the downward trajectory. A number of characteristic features of ballistic missiles interfered with the effective solution of such problems. A hypersonic glider capable of maneuvering on a trajectory turns out to be free from some of these problems. However, due to similar flight conditions, namely the difficulty or even the impossibility of radio exchange and the minimum flight time, the use of DF-ZF against mobile surface targets remains an extremely difficult task.
According to known data, as part of its hypersonic program, China has created several new projects, and at least one of them has already reached the stage of flight tests. The prototypes of the WU-14 / DF-ZF model have already taken off seven or eight times with the help of the carrier and then carried out the flight program, collecting all the necessary data. The number of tests known may indicate how far the Chinese experts have gone. Building on the successes achieved and continuing to improve existing products, in the foreseeable future they will be able to complete the experimental part of the project and provide the army with a full-fledged complex suitable for combat use.
According to various estimates, a hypersonic glider of a new model, ready for operation in the military, will be created and put into service no later than the beginning of the next decade. Perhaps it is after 2020 that the People's Liberation Army of China, trying to intimidate a potential enemy, will publish basic information about its new weapon, which will once again complement the existing picture.
Currently, all the leading countries of the world are studying the topic of hypersonic missiles and gliding vehicles. Such products can find application in various areas of military affairs and solve various problems, primarily of a shock nature. China does not want to lag behind other countries that have already created their own projects, and therefore is also trying to master a new direction for itself. As the messages of recent years show, he succeeds.
