Boris Obnosov, General Designer of the Tactical Missile Armament Corporation, announced the start of research work on a project to create a unique hypersonic missile. According to B. Obnosov, the new rocket will be able to reach a speed 12-13 times higher than the speed of sound. “Our task in the future is really a real development of the topic of modern hypersonic missiles. This year we have carried out the first works on the basis of our enterprise in Dubna,”B. Obnosov said. “I hope that this revolutionary idea will become nationwide, which will give us the opportunity to open a real project for creating hypersonic products,” said the general designer of the TRV concern, while not revealing further details of the new project.
Hypersonic aircraft, in which atmospheric air is used as a working medium for power plants, are promising types of reusable space vehicles (MCTS). It should be noted that these aircraft, according to military experts, are the most promising weapons systems that will have enormous strategic advantages, the main of which are a long range and high flight speed. Therefore, a lot of attention is paid to these developments, both in Russia and abroad.
It should be noted that a project previously existed in the Soviet Union and, moreover, quite real, the creation of a rocket with a ramjet hypersonic engine. In the 70s, an innovative flying laboratory "Kholod" was created, the basis for which was the missile of the S-200 anti-aircraft complex. During the flight test, the new rocket managed to reach a speed of 5, 2 Mach numbers (about 6 thousand km / h). It is believed that today this project has received further development, and its modern development is carried out under the name "Kholod-2". According to unofficial information, work on this project is being carried out at the Central Institute of Aviation Motors. Baranova. In particular, it is there that they are engaged in the creation of a unique hypersonic aircraft called "Igla".
Work on the creation of hypersonic aircraft and missiles is underway in the United States. In particular, the Boeing aviation concern is developing the X-51A Waverider hypersonic missile, and Lockheed Martin is developing the FHTV-2. The first test flight of an American hypersonic glider, on April 20, 2010, which, according to the project, will be capable of reaching speeds of up to 20M (approximately 23 thousand km / h), was unsuccessful.
The craft was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base aboard the Minotaur IV launch vehicle. According to the plan of the first experimental flight, FHTV-2 was supposed to overcome 7, 6 thousand kilometers in literally half an hour and fall near the Kwajalein atoll. The real place of the fall of the device is not specified. The development of this device has been carried out since 2003. At the moment, the program is part of the general concept of the US Pentagon's operational high-precision global strike.
According to the US Air Force, which tested the Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2 (FHTV-2), the created device was successfully delivered to the upper atmosphere, where it developed a speed of 20M. Then contact with the board was lost. The information obtained during the first launch is analyzed by the US Air Force specialists. The conclusions obtained from the results of data processing will be taken into account during the second flight of the FHTV-2, which is scheduled for the current year.
The main successes in the creation of a hypersonic missile, which is capable of speeds up to 6M, belong to the Russian-Indian joint venture "BrahMos". The creation of a new, higher-speed missile is based on the already operating BrahMos supersonic missile, which had previously entered service with the Indian Army and Air Force. The BrahMos rocket is based on the Soviet Onyx rocket. Also, the joint venture continues to work on the creation of an aviation version of "BrahMos", which, according to plans, will be used on various types of combat aircraft. In particular, on the Su-30MKI tactical fighters, which are produced in Russia especially for India.
According to the representatives of the joint venture, the first tests of the aviation version of the supersonic missile can be carried out as early as 2012. According to the co-director of the joint venture A. Maksichev, during the current year BrahMos Aerospace will begin work on the creation of an improved version of the Russian-Indian missile. The main characteristics of the BrahMos-2 hypersonic missile have been preliminarily agreed upon. It is assumed that the new missile will be able to reach a speed of five times the speed of sound, and it will be almost impossible to intercept it.
On August 16, at the International Aviation and Space Salon in the Russian Zhukovsky MAKS-2011, OJSC MIC Mashinostroenie, BraMos Aerospace and MAI signed a Memorandum of Understanding. The document was signed by Alexander Leonov, general director of the military-industrial complex Mashinostroenie, Sivatkhanu Pillay, general director of Bramos Aerospace and Anatoly Gerashchenko, rector of the Moscow Institute.
As Sivathanu Pillay emphasized, within the framework of this project, the BraMos company cannot solve the assigned tasks without involving MAI in cooperation. Also, the State Scientific Institute of India will be involved. The initial investment in each of these educational institutions will amount to about $ 1 million. “The product that we will develop with the help of these leading institutions must be the most advanced in the world today. We do not want to be second in the future in relation to anything or anyone,”Pillay said to Sivathanu. According to the estimates of the Director General of BraMos Aerospace, a new hypersonic missile should appear in 5 years.
