Supersonic aircraft. Hypersonic aircraft - fantasy or reality? Main problems of hypersonic solutions

It ended a long time ago, the world has not become safer. The dangers of this century come not only from terrorist groups; relations between the world's leading powers also leave much to be desired. Russia blackmails the United States with “radioactive ash,” and the Americans surround Russia with a missile defense system, lay down new strategic submarines and test missile defense. Increasingly, high-ranking officials and multi-star generals from both countries are announcing the creation of new types of strategic weapons and the modernization of old ones. One of the directions of the new arms race is the development of hypersonic aircraft, which can be used as an effective means of delivering nuclear charges.

Recently, information appeared about tests in Russia of a new hypersonic unmanned aerial vehicle Yu-71 with unique characteristics. The news was noticed in the foreign press, it is extremely scarce, and we learned practically nothing about the promising complex. In Russian sources, the information is even more scanty and contradictory, and in order to generally understand what the new Yu-71 weapon could be, you need to remember why the military used hypersound in general.

History of hypersonic vehicles

Hypersound is far from a new direction in the development of offensive weapons. The creation of aircraft with speeds several times higher than the speed of sound (more than Mach 5) began in Nazi Germany, at the very beginning of the rocket era.

These works received a powerful impetus after the beginning of the nuclear age and went in several directions.

Various countries have sought to create devices capable of developing hypersonic speeds; there have been attempts to create hypersonic cruise missiles, as well as suborbital aircraft. Most of these projects ended without results.

In the Soviet Union there was a similar project called “Spiral”, which, however, was never brought to life. According to the plan of Soviet designers, the booster jet was supposed to reach hypersonic speed (6 M), and then a suborbital vehicle equipped with rocket engines would take off from its back. This device was planned to be used mainly for military purposes.

Work in this direction is also being carried out today by private companies that plan to use similar devices for suborbital tourism. However, these developments are already taking place at the current level of technology development and, most likely, will end successfully. Today to ensure high speed Such devices often use ramjet engines, which will make the use of such aircraft or drones relatively cheap.

The creation of cruise missiles with hypersonic speed is also moving in the same direction. In the United States, the government program Global Prompt Strike (quick or lightning-fast global strike) is being developed, which is aimed at gaining the ability to deliver a powerful non-nuclear strike on any point on the planet within one hour. As part of this program, new hypersonic vehicles are being developed that can both carry a nuclear charge and do without it. As part of the Global Prompt Strike, several projects of cruise missiles with hypersonic speed are being promoted, but the Americans cannot yet boast of serious achievements in this direction.

Similar projects are being developed in Russia. The fastest cruise missile to enter service is the Brahmos anti-ship missile, developed jointly with India.

If we talk about spacecraft that develop hypersonic speed, we should remember reusable spacecraft, which during descent develop a speed many times greater than the speed of sound. Such ships include the American shuttles and the Soviet Buran, but their time has most likely passed.

If we are talking about unmanned hypersonic aerial vehicles, then we should note hypersonic warheads, which are the warheads of ballistic missile systems. Essentially, these are warheads capable of maneuvering at hypersonic speeds. They are also often called gliders for their ability to plan. Today, three countries are known to be working on similar projects: Russia, the USA and China. It is believed that China is the leader in this direction.

The American hypersonic warhead AHW (Advanced Hypersonic Weapon) passed two tests: the first was successful (2011), and during the second the rocket exploded. According to some sources, the AHW glider can reach speeds of up to Mach 8. The development of this device is carried out within the framework of the Global Prompt Strike program.

In 2014, China conducted the first successful tests of the new hypersonic glider WU-14. There is evidence that this warhead can reach a speed of about Mach 10. It can be installed on various types of Chinese ballistic missiles, in addition, there is information that Beijing is actively working on creating its own hypersonic ramjet engine, which can be used to create vehicles launched from aircraft.

The Russian response to the developments of strategic competitors should be the Yu-71 (Project 4202), which was tested at the beginning of this year.

Yu-71: what is known today

In mid-2019, an article in the American publication The Washington Free Beacon caused a great stir. According to journalists, in February 2019, Russia tested a new hypersonic aircraft, the Yu-71, for military purposes. The material reported that the Russian device can reach speeds of up to 11 thousand km/h, and also maneuver along the descent trajectory. Such characteristics make it virtually invulnerable to any modern means

PRO.

Yu-71 is also called a glider. It was launched in low-Earth orbit, and was delivered there by the SS-19 Stiletto intercontinental ballistic missile (UR-100 N). It launched from the area of ​​deployment of the Dombarovsky Strategic Missile Forces formation. According to the same publication, it is this military unit that will be armed with similar glider combat units until 2025.

The Russian General Staff stated back in 2004 that they had tested an aircraft capable of developing hypersonic speeds, while performing maneuvers both in altitude and heading. This coincides with the launch of the UR-100N UTTH ICBM from the Baikonur test site against a target at the Kura test site.

In 2011, information appeared about the test launch of a ballistic missile with special equipment capable of overcoming modern and promising missile defense systems. Probably, one of the promising Russian ballistic missiles will be equipped with a new warhead, most often called the new Sarmat missile (RS-28 ICBM).

The fact is that such warheads have a relatively large mass, so it is better to install them on powerful carriers capable of carrying several Yu-71s at once.

According to scant information from Russian sources, the development of Project 4202 is being carried out by NPO Mashinostroeniya in the town of Reutov near Moscow. In addition, the press reported on the technical re-equipment of the Strela Production Association (Orenburg), undertaken with the aim of participating in the 4202 project.

The warheads of modern ballistic missiles develop hypersonic speeds during their descent trajectory and are capable of performing quite complex maneuvers. Experts consider the main difference between the Yu-71 to be an even more difficult flight, comparable to the flight of an airplane.

In any case, the adoption of such units into service will significantly increase the effectiveness of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces.

There is information about the active development of hypersonic cruise missiles, which could become a new weapon for Russian combat aircraft, in particular the promising PAK DA strategic bomber. Such missiles represent a very difficult target for interceptor missiles of missile defense systems.

Such projects could render the missile defense system as a whole useless. The fact is that objects flying at high speed are extremely difficult to intercept. To do this, interceptor missiles must have high speed and the ability to maneuver with enormous overloads, and such missiles do not yet exist. It is very difficult to calculate the trajectories of maneuvering warheads.

Video about the Yu-71 hypersonic glider

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Over the millennia, humanity has developed a rule according to which, in order to survive and defeat the enemy, weapons must be more accurate, faster and more powerful than those of the enemy. Aviation weapons meet these requirements in modern conditions. Currently, abroad, guided aircraft weapons (UAW), in particular, guided aircraft bombs (UAB), the caliber of which ranges widely - from 9 to 13600 kg, are being intensively developed: they are equipped with new types of guidance and control systems, effective combat in parts, methods are being improved combat use.

UAB are an indispensable part of modern attack aircraft systems (UAS) for tactical and strategic purposes. Despite the high level of efficiency of modern UAB models, they, being part of the UAC, do not always meet the requirements for performing promising combat missions. As a rule, UAK operate close to the front line, and all efficiency is lost.

Local wars of recent decades, and primarily military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, have revealed the insufficient efficiency of conventional high-precision weapons, including UAB. When performing a combat mission, too much time passes from the moment the target is detected and the decision to attack is made until it is defeated. For example, a B-2 Spirit bomber, taking off from an airfield in the United States, must fly 12-15 hours to the target attack area. Therefore, in modern conditions, weapons of rapid response and high-precision action at long distances, reaching tens of thousands of km, are required.

One of the areas of research to meet these requirements abroad is the creation of new generation hypersonic strike systems. Work on the creation of hypersonic aircraft (LA) (missiles) and kinetic weapons capable of high-precision destruction of targets is being carried out in the USA, Great Britain, France and Germany.

Studying foreign experience is extremely important for us, because before the domestic defense-industrial complex (DIC), as D. Ragozin noted in his article “Russia needs a smart defense industry” (Newspaper “Krasnaya Zvezda”. 2012. – February 7. – P. 3) The task was set to “regain world technological leadership in the field of weapons production in the shortest possible time.” As noted in the article by V.V. Putin “Be strong: guarantees of national security for Russia” (Newspaper “ Russian newspaper" – 2012. – No. 5708 (35). - February 20th. – P. 1-3) " The task of the coming decade is to ensure that the new structure of the Armed Forces can rely on fundamentally new technology. Equipment that “sees” further, shoots more accurately, and reacts faster than similar systems of any potential enemy».

To achieve this, it is necessary to thoroughly know the state, trends and main areas of work abroad. Of course, our specialists always tried to fulfill this condition when carrying out R&D. But in today's environment, when " The defense industry does not have the opportunity to calmly catch up with someone, we must make a breakthrough, become leading inventors and manufacturers... To respond to the threats and challenges of today only means dooming ourselves to the eternal role of laggards. We must by all means ensure technical, technological, organizational superiority over any potential enemy».

It is believed that the creation of hypersonic aircraft was first proposed in the 1930s in Germany by Professor Eugen Sänger and engineer Irene Bredt. It was proposed to create an aircraft launching horizontally on a rocket catapult, accelerating under the action of rocket engines to a speed of about 5900 m/s, making a transcontinental flight with a range of 5-7 thousand km along a ricocheting trajectory with the release of a combat load weighing up to 10 tons and making an aircraft landing at a distance of more than 20 thousand km from the starting point.

Considering the development of rocketry in the 1930s, engineer S. Korolev and pilot-observer E. Burche (Korolev S., Burche E. Rocket in war // Youth Technology. - 1935. - No. 5. - P. 57-59) proposed a scheme for using a rocket combat aircraft-stratoplane: “ Moving on to bombing, it is necessary to take into account the fact that the accuracy of hits from heights measured in tens of kilometers and at enormous speeds of the stratoplane should be negligible. But it is quite possible and of great importance to approach a target in the stratosphere beyond the reach of ground-based weapons, quickly descend, bomb from normal heights that provide the necessary accuracy, and then lightning-fast rise again to an unattainable height».

Global strike concept based on hypersonic weapons

Currently, this idea is beginning to be practically implemented. In the United States in the mid-1990s, the concept of Global Reach - Global Power was formulated. In accordance with it, the United States must have the ability to strike ground and surface targets anywhere on the planet within 1-2 hours after receiving an order, without using foreign military bases using conventional weapons, for example, UAB.

This can be accomplished using new hypersonic weapons, consisting of a hypersonic carrier platform and an autonomous aircraft with a combat load, in particular UAB. The main properties of such weapons are high speed, long range, fairly high maneuverability, low visibility and high efficiency of use.

As part of the large-scale program of the US Armed Forces Promt Global Strike ("Prompt Global Strike"), which makes it possible to strike with conventional (non-nuclear) kinetic weapons at any point on the planet within one hour, and carried out in the interests of the US Army, a new generation hypersonic strike system is being developed in two options:

- the first one called AHW(Advanced Hypersonic Weapon) uses a disposable launch vehicle as a supersonic platform, followed by the launch of a supersonic AHW aircraft (a hypersonic gliding aircraft can also be called a maneuvering warhead) equipped with guided bombs to hit the target;

- the second one called the FALCON HCV-2 hypersonic strike system uses a hypersonic aircraft to create conditions for the launch of an autonomous hypersonic gliding aircraft CAV, which flies to the target and defeats it using a UAB.

Fig. 1 — Options for the structural and aerodynamic appearance of the HCV hypersonic strike aircraft

The first version of the technical solution has a significant drawback, namely that the launch vehicle delivering the hypersonic projectile to the AHW launch point can be mistaken for a missile with a nuclear warhead.

In 2003, the Air Force and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) of the US Department of Defense, based on their own developments and proposals from industry for advanced hypersonic systems, developed a new concept for an advanced hypersonic strike system, called FALCON (Force Application and Launch from Continental US, “Use of force in launching from the continental United States") or "Falcon".

According to this concept, the FALCON strike system consists of a hypersonic reusable (for example, unmanned) carrier aircraft HCV (Hypersonic Cruise Vehicle - aircraft, flying at altitudes of about 40-60 km with hypersonic cruising speed, with a combat load weight of up to 5400 kg and a range of 15 -17000 km) and a reusable hypersonic highly maneuverable controlled glider CAV (Common Aero Vehicle - unified autonomous aircraft) with aerodynamic quality 3-5. HCV vehicles are expected to be based at airfields with a runway up to 3 km long.

Lockheed-Martin Corporation was chosen as the lead developer of the HCV hypersonic strike vehicle and the CAV delivery vehicle of the FALCON strike system. In 2005, it began work to determine their technical appearance and assess the technological feasibility of projects. The largest aerospace companies in the United States - Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Andrews Space - are also involved in the work. Due to the high level of technological risk of the program, conceptual studies of several variants of experimental samples of delivery vehicles and their carriers were carried out, assessing the characteristics of maneuverability and controllability.

When dropped from a carrier at hypersonic speed, it can deliver various combat payloads with a maximum weight of 500 kg to a target at a distance of up to 16,000 km. The device is supposed to be made according to a promising aerodynamic design that ensures high aerodynamic quality. To retarget the device in flight and hit targets identified within a radius of up to 5,400 km, its equipment is expected to include equipment for real-time data exchange with various reconnaissance systems and control points.

The destruction of stationary highly protected (buried) targets will be ensured by the use of 500 kg caliber weapons with a penetrating warhead. Accuracy (circular probable deviation) should be about 3 m at a target encounter speed of up to 1200 m/s.

Fig.2 - Autonomous hypersonic aircraft CAV

The CAV hypersonic gliding aircraft with aerodynamic controls has a mass of approximately 900 kg, of which up to six can be carried on the carrier aircraft, and carries in its combat compartment two conventional bombs weighing 226 kg each. The accuracy of using bombs is very high - 3 meters. The range of the CAV itself can be about 5000 km. In Fig. Figure 2 shows a diagram of the separation of penetrating weapons using inflatable shells.

The scheme for the combat use of the FALCON hypersonic strike system looks something like this. After receiving the mission, the HCV hypersonic bomber takes off from a conventional airfield and, using a combined propulsion system (PS), accelerates to a speed approximately corresponding to M=6. When this speed is reached, the propulsion system switches to the hypersonic ramjet engine mode, accelerating the aircraft to M = 10 and an altitude of at least 40 km. At a given moment, the attack hypersonic gliding aircraft CAV is separated from the carrier aircraft, which, after completing a combat mission to hit targets, returns to the airfield of one of the overseas air bases of the United States (if the CAV is equipped with its own engine and the necessary fuel supply, it can return to the continental United States ) (Fig. 3).

Fig. 3 - Scheme of the combat use of GLA using the wave-like flight path of an attack aircraft

Two types of flight paths are possible. The first type characterizes the wave-like trajectory for a hypersonic aircraft, which was proposed back in the Second World War by the German engineer Eigen Senger in his bomber project. The meaning of the wave-like trajectory is as follows. Due to acceleration, the device exits the atmosphere and turns off the engine, saving fuel. Then, under the influence of gravity, the plane returns to the atmosphere and turns on the engine again (for a short time, only 20-40 s), which again throws the device into space.

In addition to increasing the range, such a trajectory also helps to cool the bomber’s structure when it is in space. The flight altitude does not exceed 60 km, and the wave pitch is about 400 km. The second type of trajectory has a classic straight flight trajectory.

Experimental research on the creation of hypersonic weapons

Hypersonic models HTV (Hypersonic Test Vehicle) weighing about 900 kg and up to 5 m long were proposed to evaluate their flight performance, controllability and thermal loads at speeds M = 10 - HTV-1, HTV-2, HTV-3.

Fig.4 - Experimental hypersonic aircraft HTV-1

The HTV-1 device with a controlled flight duration of 800 s at a speed of M = 10 was withdrawn from testing due to the technological complexity in the manufacture of the heat-protective body and incorrect design solutions (Fig. 4).

Fig.5 - Experimental hypersonic aircraft HTV-2

The HTV-2 device is made using an integrated circuit with sharp leading edges and provides quality 3.5-4, which, as the developers believe, will allow for a given gliding range, as well as maneuverability and controllability using aerodynamic flaps for targeting the target with the required accuracy (Fig. 5). According to the US Congressional Research Service (CRS), the FALCON HTV-2 hypersonic vehicle is capable of hitting targets at ranges of up to 27,000 km and reaching speeds of up to Mach 20 (23,000 km/h).

Fig.6 - Experimental hypersonic aircraft HTV-3

The HTV-3 apparatus represents a scale model of a hypersonic attack aircraft HCV with a lift-to-drag ratio of 4-5 (Fig. 6). The model is intended to evaluate the adopted technological and design solutions, aerodynamic and flight performance characteristics, as well as maneuverability and controllability in the interests of the further development of the HCV aircraft. Flight tests were supposed to be carried out in 2009. The total cost of manufacturing the model and conducting flight tests is estimated at $50 million.

Testing of the strike complex was supposed to be carried out in 2008-2009. using launch vehicles. The test flight diagram of the hypersonic aircraft HTV-2 is shown in Fig. 7.

As studies have shown, the main problematic issues in creating a hypersonic aircraft will be related to the development of the power plant, the choice of fuel and structural materials, aerodynamics and flight dynamics, and the control system.

Fig.7 — Profile of the test flight of the hypersonic aircraft HTV-2

The choice of the aerodynamic design and structural layout of the aircraft must be based on the condition of ensuring the joint operation of the air intake, power plant and other elements of the aircraft. At hypersonic speeds, the issues of studying the effectiveness of aerodynamic controls, with minimal areas of stabilizing and control surfaces, hinge moments, especially when approaching the target area at a speed of about 1600 m/s, become paramount, primarily to ensure structural strength and high-precision guidance target.

According to preliminary studies, the temperature on the surface of a hypersonic vehicle reaches 1900°C, while for the normal functioning of the onboard equipment, the temperature inside the compartment should not exceed 70°C. Therefore, the device body must have a heat-resistant shell made of high-temperature materials and multi-layer thermal protection based on currently existing structural materials.

The hypersonic vehicle is equipped with a combined inertial-satellite control system and, in the future, a final homing system of an optical-electronic or radar type.

To ensure straight-line flight, ramjet engines are considered the most promising for military systems: SPVRD (supersonic ramjet engine) and scramjet engine (hypersonic ramjet engine). They are simple in design because they have virtually no moving parts (except perhaps a fuel supply pump) and use conventional hydrocarbon fuel.

Fig. 8 - Hypersonic aircraft X-51A

The aerodynamic design and design of the CAV vehicle are being developed within the framework of the X-41 project, and the carrier aircraft - under the X-51 program. The goal of the X-51A program is to demonstrate scramjet capabilities, develop heat-resistant materials, integrate airframe and engine, and other technologies necessary for flight in the 4.5-6.5 M range. Work is also underway to create a ballistic missile as part of this program with a conventional warhead, the X-51A Waverider hypersonic missile and the X-37B orbital drone.

According to CRS, program funding in 2011 was $239.9 million, of which $69 million was spent on AHW.

Fig.9 - Launch of a hypersonic aircraft AHW from a launch vehicle

The US Department of Defense conducted another test of the new gliding hypersonic bomb AHW (Advanced Hypersonic Weapon). The ammunition was tested on November 17, 2011. The main purpose of the test was to test the ammunition for maneuverability, controllability and resistance to high temperatures. It is known that the AHW was launched into the upper atmosphere using a launch vehicle launched from an airbase in the Hawaiian Islands (Fig. 9). After separating the munition from the missile, it glides and hits a target in the Marshall Islands near Kwajalein Atoll, located four thousand kilometers southwest of Hawaii, at hypersonic speeds, five times the speed of sound. The flight lasted less than 30 minutes.

According to Pentagon spokeswoman Melinda Morgan, the purpose of testing the ammunition was to collect data on the aerodynamics of the AHW, its handling and resistance to high temperatures. The last tests of HTV-2 took place in mid-August 2011 and were unsuccessful (Fig. 10).

Fig. 10 — Autonomous hypersonic aircraft HTV-2 in flight

According to experts, it is possible that a new generation of first-generation hypersonic strike systems may be adopted by 2015. It is considered necessary to provide up to 16 launches per day using a disposable launch vehicle. The launch cost is about $5 million. The creation of a full-scale strike system is expected no earlier than 2025-2030.

The idea of ​​the military use of a stratoplane with a rocket engine, proposed by S. Korolev and E. Burche in the 1930s, judging by research conducted in the United States, is beginning to be implemented in projects to create a new generation of hypersonic strike weapons. The use of UAB as part of a hypersonic autonomous vehicle when attacking a target places high demands on ensuring high-precision guidance in conditions of hypersonic flight and thermal protection of the equipment from the effects of kinetic heating.

Using the example of the work being carried out in the United States to create hypersonic weapons, we see that the possibilities for the combat use of UAB are far from being exhausted and they are determined not only by the tactical and technical characteristics of the UAB itself, which ensures the specified range, accuracy and probability of destruction, but also by delivery vehicles. In addition, the implementation of this project can also solve the peaceful problem of promptly delivering cargo or rescue equipment in distress to any point on the globe.

The presented material makes us think seriously about the content of the main directions of development of domestic guided strike systems until 2020-2030. At the same time, we must take into account the statement of D. Rogozin (D. Rogozin, Work on an exact algorithm // National Defense. - 2012. - No. 2. - P. 34-46):

«… we are obliged to abandon the idea of ​​“catch up and overtake”... And it is unlikely that in a short time we will gather the forces and capabilities that would allow us to catch up with high-tech countries at incredible speeds. There is no need to do this. We need something else, much more complex... We need to calculate the course of armed struggle with a perspective of up to 30 years, determine this point, and reach it. Understand what we need, that is, to prepare weapons not for tomorrow or even the day after tomorrow, but for the historical week ahead... I repeat, do not think about what they are doing now in the USA, in France, in Germany, think about what they will have it in 30 years. And you must create something that will be better than what they have now. Don't follow them, try to figure out where it's going and then we'll win».

That is, it is necessary to understand whether a similar task has arisen for us, and if “yes,” then how to solve it.

/Semyonov S.S., head of the analysis and advanced research group of the State Scientific Enterprise "Region", Ph.D., otvaga2004.ru/

Not a single hypersonic vehicle has been created

Creation and development of combat hypersonic aircraft is one of the most big secrets not only in Russia, but also in the USA, China and other countries of the world. Information about them belongs to the category “top secret” - top secret. In an exclusive interview with Izvestia, the legendary designer of rocket and space technology, Herbert Efremov, who devoted more than 30 years to the creation of hypersonic technology, explained what hypersonic vehicles are and what difficulties are encountered in their development.

- Herbert Aleksandrovich, there is a lot of talk now about the creation of hypersonic aircraft, but most of the information about them is closed to the general public...

Let's start with the fact that products that develop hypersonic speed created a long time ago. For example, these are ordinary heads of intercontinental ballistic missiles. Entering the Earth's atmosphere, they develop hypersonic speed. But they are uncontrollable and fly along a certain trajectory. And their interceptions by missile defense (BMD) systems have been demonstrated more than once.

As another example, I will give our strategic cruise missile "Meteorite", which once flew at a crazy speed of Mach 3 - about 1000 m/s. Literally on the verge of hypersound (hypersonic speeds start at Mach 4.5 - Izvestia). But the main task of modern hypersonic aircraft (HZLA) is not just to fly somewhere quickly, but to carry out a combat mission with high efficiency in conditions of strong counteraction enemy. For example, the Americans alone have 65 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers with anti-missile defenses at sea. There are also 22 Ticonderoga-class anti-missile cruisers, 11 aircraft carriers- each of which is based on up to hundreds of aircraft capable of creating an almost impenetrable system missile defense.

- Do you want to say that speed in itself does not solve anything?

Roughly speaking, hypersonic speed- this is 2 km/s. To cover 30 km, you need to fly for 15 seconds. At the final part of the trajectory, when the hypersonic aircraft approaches the target, the enemy’s anti-missile and air defense systems will definitely be deployed, which the GZV will detect. And for modern air defense and missile defense systems to be ready, if they are deployed in positions, it takes a matter of seconds. Therefore, for effective combat use of GZLA Speed ​​alone won't do in no way if you have not ensured electronic stealth and invincibility for air defense/missile defense systems on the final leg of the flight. Both speed and the capabilities of radio engineering protection of the device with its own radio jamming stations will play a role here. Everything is in a complex.

- You say that there must be not only speed - the product must be controllable in order to achieve the goal. Tell us about the possibility of controlling the device in a hypersonic flow.

All hypersonic vehicles fly in plasma. And nuclear combat heads fly in plasma, and everything that went beyond Mach 4, especially 6. An ionized cloud forms around, and not just a flow with vortices: the molecules are still broken into charged particles. Ionization affects communication and the passage of radio waves. It is necessary for the control and navigation systems of the GZV to penetrate this plasma at these flight speeds.

On the "Meteorite" we had to be sure to see the earth's surface with radar. Navigation was provided by comparison location pictures from on board a rocket with a video reference embedded in the system. It was impossible otherwise. “Caliber” and other cruise missiles can fly like this: I used a radio altimeter to reconnaissance the terrain - here is a hill, here is a river, here is a valley. But this is possible when you fly at an altitude of hundreds of meters. And when you rise to a height of 25 km, you won’t be able to discern any hillocks there with a radio altimeter. Therefore, we found certain areas on the ground, compared them with what was recorded in the video reference, and determined the displacement of the rocket to the left or right, forward, backward and by how much.

- In many textbooks for dummies, hypersonic flight in the atmosphere is compared to sliding on sandpaper due to very high resistance. How true is this statement?

A little inaccurate. At hypersound, all sorts of turbulent flows, vortices and shaking of the device begin. Thermal intensity regimes change depending on whether the flow on the surface is laminar (smooth) or with disruptions. There are a lot of difficulties. For example, the heat load increases sharply. If you fly at a speed of Mach 3, the heating of the GZLA skin is about 150 degrees in the atmosphere, depending on the altitude. The higher the flight altitude, the less heating. But at the same time, if you fly at twice the speed, the heating will be much greater. Therefore, new materials need to be used.

- What can be given as an example of such materials?

Various carbon materials. Even fiberglass. With hypersound, the temperature is many thousands of degrees. A steel holds only 1200 degrees Celcius. These are crumbs.

Hypersonic temperatures carry away the so-called “sacrificial layer” (the coating layer that is consumed during the flight of the aircraft. - Izvestia). Therefore, the shell of nuclear warheads is designed so that most of it will be “eaten up” by hypersound, while the internal filling will be preserved. But GZLA there cannot be a “sacrificial layer”. If you fly on a controlled product, you must maintain an aerodynamic shape. You cannot “blunt” the product so that the toe and edges of the wings, etc., burn. By the way, this was done in American "Shuttles", and on our "Buran". There, graphite materials were used as thermal protection.

- Is it correct when they write in popular science literature that a hypersonic atmospheric vehicle should have a structure as a single monolithic solid body?

Not necessary. They can consist of compartments and different elements.

- So, a classic rocket structure is possible?

Certainly. Select materials, order new developments, if necessary, check, work on benches, in flight, correct if something goes wrong. You also need to be able to measure this with hundreds of telemetric sensors of incredible complexity.

- Which engine is better - solid fuel or liquid for a hypersonic vehicle?

Solid fuel is not suitable here at all, because it can accelerate, but it is impossible to fly for a long time with it. Ballistic missiles have such engines missiles such as "Bulava", "Topol". In the case of GZLA, this is unacceptable. On our Yakhont missile (an anti-ship cruise missile, part of the Bastion complex. - Izvestia), only the starting accelerator is solid fuel. Then it flies on a liquid ramjet engine.

There are attempts to make a ramjet engine with an internal content of solid fuel, which is spread throughout the combustion chamber. But it is also not enough for long ranges.

For liquid fuel, you can make the tank smaller, of any shape. One of the "Meteorites" flew with tanks in the wings. It was tested because we had to achieve a range of 4-4.5 thousand km. And he flew on an air-breathing engine running on liquid fuel.

- What is the difference between an air-breathing engine and a liquid-propellant jet engine?

A liquid jet engine contains oxidizer and fuel in separate tanks, which are mixed in the combustion chamber. The air-jet engine is powered by one fuel: kerosene, decillin or bicilin. The oxidizing agent is incoming air oxygen. Bicilin (fuel produced from vacuum gas oil using hydrogenation processes - Izvestia) was precisely developed according to our order for Meteorit. This liquid fuel has very high density, allowing you to make a tank of smaller volume.

- There are known photographs of hypersonic aircraft with a jet engine. They all have an interesting shape: not streamlined, but rather angular and square. Why?

You are probably talking about the X-90, or, as it is called in the West, AS-X-21 Koala(the first Soviet experimental GZLA. - Izvestia). Well yes, it's a clumsy bear. In front are the so-called “boards” and “wedges” (structural elements with sharp corners and protrusions. - Izvestia). Everything is done to make the air flow entering the engine acceptable for combustion and normal combustion of the fuel. To do this, we create so-called shock waves (a sharp increase in pressure, density, temperature of the gas and a decrease in its speed when a supersonic flow meets any obstacle. - Izvestia). Jumps are formed precisely on “boards” and “wedges” - those structural elements that dampen air speed.

On the way to the engine there may be a second shock wave, or a third. The whole nuance is that air should not enter the combustion chamber at the same speed, from which the GZLA flies. It definitely needs to be reduced. And very much so. Preferably to subsonic values, for which everything has been worked out, checked and tested. But this is exactly the problem that the creators of GZLA are trying to solve and haven't decided in 65 years.

As soon as you jump beyond Mach 4.5, in such high-speed movement air particles quickly slip into the engines. And you must “bring together” the atomized fuel and the oxidizer - atmospheric oxygen. This interaction must be with high combustion efficiency. Interaction should not be disrupted by some kind of hesitation or extra breath inside. No one has yet figured out how to do this.

- Is it possible to create a GZLA for civilian needs, for transporting passengers and cargo?

Maybe. At one of the Paris air shows, an aircraft developed by the French together with the British was shown. A turbojet engine lifts it to altitude, and then the car accelerates to approximately Mach 2. The ramjet engines then open, propelling the aircraft to Mach 3.5 or Mach 4. And then he flies at an altitude of about 30 kilometers somewhere from New York to Japan. Before landing, the reverse mode is activated: the machine descends, switches to a turbojet engine, like a regular airplane, enters the atmosphere and lands. Hydrogen is considered as a fuel as the most high-calorie substance.

- Currently, Russia and the United States are most actively developing hypersonic aircraft. Can you evaluate the success of our opponents?

As for grades, I can say - let the guys work. For 65 years they haven’t really done anything. At speeds from Mach 4.5 to 6, there is not a single actually made GZLA.

The newest hypersonic aircraft Yu-71 (Yu-71)

Hypersonic weapons and hyperspeed: how physics is preventing the military from making the rocket of their dreams

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A hypersonic aircraft is one whose speed can greatly exceed the speed of sound (1224 km/h), that is, approximately five to six thousand km/h. Similar devices are produced today in several countries around the world. Russia also did not stand aside.

It must be said that the creation of various hypersonic aircraft in the world began in the second half of the last century. But today, of course, aircraft are becoming more and more advanced and have unprecedented advantages and capabilities.

Russia's Yu-71 hypersonic aircraft quickly moved from the development stage, which lasted for several years, to the testing stage last year. We tested a new aircraft near Orenburg. The plane will take about fifty minutes to cover the distance from the test sites to the US capital, and twenty minutes to London.

What can the Yu-71 do?

The Yu-71 was created to be used for military purposes. For example, a hypersonic aircraft will be able to deliver ammunition and other necessary equipment in the shortest possible time and over long distances (nuclear warheads).

In addition, the Yu-71 is capable of conducting territory control and also being used as an attack aircraft. The Russian hypersonic aircraft is capable of flying at speeds of more than eleven thousand km/hour. All this is complemented by its extraordinary maneuverability, which even allows it to go into near space.

How and for what do they plan to use the Yu-71?

According to some experts, about twenty aircraft are planned to be introduced into service in the next decade. Rocket Forces strategic purpose. They will be placed near the Dombarovsky village (Orenburg region). It should be noted that the Yu-71 was developed in two modifications: ordinary and strategic.

There are many different opinions about the Yu-71. Some experts believe that this aircraft is a warhead, initially attached to the missile, and then separated (at the end of its flight). The meaning of this is the ability of a hypersonic aircraft to overcome air defense systems.

There is also evidence that the Yu-71 is nothing more than one of the parts of Project 4202, which is secret. Russia allegedly intends to launch a hypersonic project in order to put pressure on the United States. Negotiations on arms control in this case can go very well.

What will be the fate of the Russian Yu-71 aircraft is unknown. We can only wait and monitor developments.

A military secret. Tests of Yu-71, Syria. Reportage.

The desire to create the fastest possible military equipment is a key goal for any state, because only high speeds are a guarantee of overcoming air defenses. For this reason, hypersonic weapon technologies were actively developed back in Nazi Germany. Later they migrated to the allies, who continued their outstanding developments.

However, only in recent decades has technology made it possible to make a qualitative step forward. For Russia, this is expressed in the secret project Yu-71 - a hypersonic aircraft.

History of the creation of hypersonic weapons

Hypersonic weapons reached their maximum development during the Cold War. Like many outstanding military projects of mankind, fundamentally new technologies were created in conditions of competition between the USA and the USSR. The first attempts to exceed the speed of sound (namely, to overcome the barrier of 1234.8 km/h) did not lead to serious achievements. But it should also be noted that the tasks set were almost impossible even for such powerful powers.

Not much is known about these projects, but some information has reached us that, for example, in the USSR, designers were faced with the task of making:

• an aircraft that could reach a speed of at least 7000 km/h;
• reliable design for using the equipment many times;
• a controlled aircraft to make it as difficult as possible to detect and eliminate it;
• finally, surpass a similar development of the states - the X-20 Dyna Soar.

But during the tests it became clear that it was impossible to even get into the air with similar speeds and the required design, and Soviet Union closed the project.

Fortunately for the leadership of the USSR, the Americans also did not achieve progress: only a few times the hypersonic aircraft rose to suborbital altitude, but in most situations it lost control and crashed.

Development of supersonic technologies in the 21st century

Hypersonic technologies are closely intertwined in two different directions: the creation of ballistic and guided missiles or the design of a full-fledged aircraft.

And if missiles that exceed the speed of sound several times are already being successfully created and are even participating in military operations, then aircrafts require truly ingenious design solutions. The main catch is that overloads at high speeds during maneuvers are measured not even in tens, but in hundreds of g. Planning such loads and ensuring reliability of the equipment is a rather difficult task.

Technologies do not stand still, so in the 21st century the project “4202” was implemented in Russia, which is often referred to as the Yu-71 - a hypersonic aircraft.

It grew out of the development of hypersonic technologies in missiles.

Very little is known about the development, because similar work was and is being carried out not only in the USSR and then Russia, but also in the USA, as well as China, Britain, and France. The desire of the leading world powers to keep complex and expensive discoveries secret is quite understandable, since serious military superiority will be achieved with hypersonic technology.

It is known that the first successes were achieved back in the USSR, in 1991. Then the Kholod aircraft successfully took off into the air. The device was launched on the basis of the S-200 anti-aircraft missile system, using a 5B28 rocket. The engineers were able to achieve a controlled flight and reach a speed of 1900 km/h. After this, the possibilities only expanded, but in 1998 the tests were stopped. The reason turned out to be prosaic - the crisis that had broken out in the country.

Given the high secrecy of information, there are not many reliable sources.

However, the foreign press provides information that in 20-2010. Russia has again started developing hypersonic projects. The tasks were set as follows:

1. To develop ballistic and guided missiles at a faster pace to ensure that they overcome any known interception means before reaching the target.
2. Develop missile systems with rocket speeds exceeding the speed of sound up to 13 times.
3. Conduct tests of an aircraft with means of delivering nuclear and non-nuclear weapons.

The main reason for the development of such weapons was based on the fact that a similar American project, Prompt Global Strike, was developed to be based on ships and aircraft in order to be guaranteed to hit any point on the planet in 1 hour. Naturally, Russia had to respond with the same weapons, because no country has interception weapons capable of targeting targets at such a high speed.

The most famous facts about Russia's secret weapon - Yu-71

Already at the start of work, the ideas of the “4202” project were seriously ahead of their time, since the chief designer was the brilliant Gleb Lozino-Lozinsky. But they were able to create a full-fledged aircraft much later, already in Russia.

According to foreign sources, the tests of the glider, namely the Yu-71 aircraft, did not take place at the beginning of 2015, as the Russian military leadership says. There is information that already in 2004, a supposedly new hypersonic glider was launched at Baikonur. This version is confirmed by the fact that in 2012, at one of the country’s defense enterprises in the city of Reutov, New Year’s greetings were announced, where employees were told that the “4202” project was key for the near future.

In general, the Russian Yu-71 supersonic aircraft is extremely difficult to shoot down and even track. Therefore, a lot of information is hidden from ordinary people. According to available information, the Yu-71 has the following characteristics:

1. A hypersonic aircraft takes off from low-Earth orbit. It is delivered there by UR-100N UTTH type missiles. At the level of opinions, it is said that in the future the newest Sarmat missile, the RS-28 ICBM, will be responsible for delivery.
2. The maximum recorded speed of the Yu-71 is estimated at 11,200 km/h. Experts claim that the device is capable of maneuvering on the final part of the trajectory. But even without this ability, it remains out of reach of air defense and missile defense systems due to its high speed. According to the Russian military, the Yu-71 can maneuver in altitude and heading from the moment it launches in low-Earth orbit.
3. The Yu-71 can go into space, which makes it even more invisible to most detection equipment.
4. It is believed that from the moment of launch, the glider can fly to New York in 40 minutes, carrying nuclear warheads on board.
5. Hypersonic modules are very heavy, so the military leadership is considering the possibility of delivering several Yu-71s into low-Earth orbit using more powerful rockets than are currently used.
6. The glider has 3 compartments with various equipment and weapons.
7. There is an opinion that Russia is starting active production of the Yu-71 project. Thus, presumably the Strela production facility near Orenburg is being completely technically rebuilt to assemble hypersonic weapons.

The only information that is called accurate is the speed developed by the aircraft and the ability to maneuver in flight.

Other information is kept secret. But it is already clear that Russia is ready to respond adequately in the hypersonic race.

Competitors Yu-71

Hypersonic technologies are the subject of work by the world's leading powers. Some have achieved serious achievements, for others the costs were high or it was not possible to carry out highly technological projects. Russia's main competitors today are the United States and China.

Competitors	Description
1.Advanced Hypersonic Weapon glider (USA).	The AHW aircraft became part of the Prompt Global Strike program. The technical aspects are hidden under seven seals. It is only known that the glider reaches speeds of up to Mach 8 (10,000 km/h). His first tests were considered successful, but during the second, the launch vehicle exploded. So we can confidently say that the work overseas is not yet finished.
2. Glider WU-14 (PRC).	China's great aspirations are aimed at creating hypersonic ballistic and cruise missiles. But the WU-14 glider is also being developed. It is known to reach speeds of up to Mach 10 (just over 12,000 km/h). Some sources also provide information that the Chinese are working on their own ramjet hypersonic engine specifically for direct launch of gliders from aircraft.

In the 21st century, humanity has come close to hypersonic weapons.

If you believe information leaks, then Russia can announce the final stage faster than others, namely the adoption of such technologies. This will bring a tangible advantage in military terms.

Prospects for the Russian Yu-71

According to some reports, the Yu-71 has passed tests and is being prepared for serial production. Although the project is secret, a number of sources indicate that by 2025 Russia will have 40 such gliders with nuclear warheads.

Even though Yu-71 launches are expensive, the device can be used for different purposes. They also mention the ability to deliver a warhead to any point on the planet in the shortest possible time, and, for example, the transportation of food and supplies.

Due to its maneuverability, the Yu-71 can be used as an attack aircraft or bomber deep behind enemy lines.

The Yu-71 will most likely be located near Orenburg, in the rear, since the most vulnerable part of the flight is the launch and achievement of orbit. After separating the glider from the rocket, tracking its movement and, even more so, shooting it down becomes impossible for modern missile defense or air defense systems.

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