Defense against Hypersonic Glide Vehicles

Implies it will be a long range large and very powerful and very high Mach missile with the associated necessary big radar and a LEO satellite constellation system for continuous coverage.
If you can catch them out of the atmosphere, it's better. They can't maneuver except via very easy to detect RCS thrusters, and maneuvering much out of atmosphere can either mess up their re-entry or make it very difficult to hit the target.



Would that also imply for intercepting SRAM hypersonic cruise missiles that fly at lower altitude with in the earths atmosphere will require totally different missile system or perhaps rely on THAAD?
Probably. Something like SM3 is exo-atmospheric only, it basically cannot maneuver inside the atmosphere. THAAD or Patriot PAC3MSE can maneuver inside the atmosphere, even if the missiles are actually capable of reaching over 100km up.
 
Implies it will be a long range large and very powerful and very high Mach missile with the associated necessary big radar and a LEO satellite constellation system for continuous coverage. Would that also imply for intercepting SRAM hypersonic cruise missiles that fly at lower altitude with in the earths atmosphere will require totally different missile system or perhaps rely on THAAD?
Wonder if it's the SM-6 IB now that it's been revealed that it also has a BMD function.

1715091818342.png
 
I suspect GPI will require a endo/exo atmospheric capability like THAAD.
I wouldn't be at all surprised if SM-6 IB looked like the item second from right. If they're using the same variant for surface strike and I assume there's only one SM-6 IB, it's going to be real interesting watching adversary SAMs trying to intercept an air vehicle with DACT closing at Mach 5. :cool:

1715092698629.png
 
I wouldn't be at all surprised if SM-6 IB looked like the item second from right. If they're using the same variant for surface strike and I assume there's only one SM-6 IB, it's going to be real interesting watching adversary SAMs trying to intercept an air vehicle with DACT closing at Mach 5. :cool:
DACT and some drunk-walking algorithms, for roughly random maneuvering...

Gonna reveal some new profanity for sure! :D
 


View: https://x.com/L3HarrisTech/status/1790774385722192333
 
Last edited:

GPI
Japanese side will be responsible for the missile's rocket motor and the propulsion system for the warhead portion, known as the "kill vehicle,"
 
1715982926374.png

6000/y ?! That´s roughly 20 per day on a 2000-acre ranch, hence one every shift day per 100 acre. I guess they are walking on powder residues... Not talking about air quality for their neighbors.

But why such a hassle?
 
6000/y ?! That´s roughly 20 per day on a 2000-acre ranch, hence one every shift day per 100 acre. I guess they are walking on powder residues... Not talking about air quality for their neighbors.
New Jersey. Pretty sure solid rocket exhaust is an improvement to general air quality around there...
 
It seems to me range is just a function of how large of a rocket booster you but behind it.
 
Yeah, they have multiple types with boost gliders. Makes GBSD seem kinda pathetic.

DF-17 is the only one known to be service. I believe an H-6 launched weapon and Type 55 weapon have been tested.
 
Last edited:
Tangentially related
Wouldn't a quantum enhanced radar be so sensitive that it ends up detecting air molecules?
 
Lockheed Martin Space, Sunnyvale, California, has been awarded a $977,599,318 cost-plus-incentive-fee contract modification (P00127) to previously awarded contract FA8810-18-C-0005 for Phase 2.1B. The Phase 2.1B contract modification is for on-orbit developmental and operational testing, calibration, and tuning of the Overhead Persistent Infrared (OPIR) main mission payload, entrance into the interim operations period, and interim contractor support for the Next Generation OPIR Geosynchronous System for two space vehicles consistent with the space vehicle 3 descope. The locations of performance include Sunnyvale, California; Boulder, Colorado; and Aurora, Colorado. The work is expected to be completed July 31, 2029. Fiscal 2024 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $183,649,905 are being obligated at the time of award. Total cumulative face value of the contract is $8,193,503,619. Space Force, Space Systems Command, Space Sensing, Los Angeles Air Force Base, California, is the contracting activity.
 

A hypersonic test bed built by Kratos took its first flight last month, launching experiments for the Missile Defense Agency and hitting speeds above Mach 5.

MDA announced the successful flight of its first Hypersonic Testbed, HTB-1, June 14, which took off from Wallops Island in Virginia. Not only did it provide a high-speed test platform for the agency, but it allowed its two missile tracking satellites — launched in February and designed to detect advanced threats — to catch their first tracks of a hypersonic vehicle.

While MDA did not provide details about which company built the system, Kratos confirmed last week that its Erinyes vehicle — named after the Greek goddess of vengeance — flew the mission.
1720031064920.png
 
Last edited:
Had an interesting thought yesterday or the day before as we were talking about CCAs and how they'll end up reflecting the century series.

The first half of the Century Series was interceptors, mid and short ranged types.

Would something with roughly F104+ performance be somewhat viable for hypersonic defense? 250nmi range, but closer to mach 3 speeds.

I'm thinking that you have a couple of these UCAVs set up on ZLLs and on 30-second-scrambles from detection of the launch of a Hypersonic missile. 2 minutes or so time to climb to 12km from scramble call, then 3 minutes "cruise" at ~Mach 2.9(1km/s) to displace over the top of the target area to launch the interceptor missiles.

While some of this depends on just how fast the hypersonics are coming, it's looking like the incoming will be doing around 3km/s. As long as you have enough warning, this should allow for wider coverage of the defended areas versus small hypersonic attacks.

Although "enough warning" seems to be saying a hypersonic with 900-1000km range, ~3min at 1km/s is a circle 180km in radius. As opposed to ground launched missiles that appear to need to be within 10km of whatever the hypersonic is aimed at in order to be able to make the intercept at all.

Still means a screaming F414-powered UCAV taking off with rocket assist, but being 100km away from the target helps deal with the noise complaints from drills.
 
I'm thinking that you have a couple of these UCAVs set up on ZLLs and on 30-second-scrambles from detection of the launch of a Hypersonic missile. 2 minutes or so time to climb to 12km from scramble call, then 3 minutes "cruise" at ~Mach 2.9(1km/s) to displace over the top of the target area to launch the interceptor missiles.

While some of this depends on just how fast the hypersonics are coming, it's looking like the incoming will be doing around 3km/s. As long as you have enough warning, this should allow for wider coverage of the defended areas versus small hypersonic attacks.

Although "enough warning" seems to be saying a hypersonic with 900-1000km range, ~3min at 1km/s is a circle 180km in radius. As opposed to ground launched missiles that appear to need to be within 10km of whatever the hypersonic is aimed at in order to be able to make the intercept at all.
The catch to this plan seems to be how quickly you can get whatever engine you're using started.

How long does it take to start an F414?

It might actually be worth an ejector ramjet instead of a big jet engine, use a booster big enough to get the ramjet started. Or a supercharged ejector ramjet, SERJ. Or maybe a precooled jet engine with a 90% peroxide booster into the afterburner, so you have 40% by weight of peroxide injected more oxygen in the mix to feed the afterburner. SERJ may require some spool-up time for the mini engine that powers the supercharger fan, and the precooled jet definitely needs spool-up time.
 

Similar threads

Please donate to support the forum.

Back
Top Bottom