Around half of the foreign students in NUAA are from Soutb Asia, so probably yes.
Chinese Hypersonic Developments (HGVs/HCMs)
- Thread starter A.Man
- Start date
Around half of the foreign students in NUAA are from Soutb Asia, so probably yes.
You guys are still on this Chinese hypersonic spy story?
Check out this video on the same subject. No need to watch the entire video. Start at around 6 minute mark and you'll see a mini-movie, called "0.07 No Time to Die Laughing." Apparently China's official Xinhua News came out with this satire mini-movie on Western Chinese spying propaganda. Fun to watch.
Here is the movie poster:
Check out this video on the same subject. No need to watch the entire video. Start at around 6 minute mark and you'll see a mini-movie, called "0.07 No Time to Die Laughing." Apparently China's official Xinhua News came out with this satire mini-movie on Western Chinese spying propaganda. Fun to watch.
Here is the movie poster:
I love such long videos . They go into the depth. Will watch it this weekend.
I'm still halfway through the report because I downloaded the pdf file from the CSIS website, I'll finish reading it on Friday, but some interesting things were listed.
In the report, there is a statement that the HGV reduces the speed from mach 20+ to something around mach 5/mach 7, I always considered that the HGV would have as terminal speed something around mach 10 due to atmospheric drag during the phase of gliding, the statement that establishes this criterion deserves to have a dedication on the part of the studies, I believe that there is already public information about the continuous effects of atmospheric drag on hypersonic vehicles during the gliding phase.
It also states that the US should not limit itself to studying just the two types of hypersonic missiles, the HCM and the HGV. The report emphasizes that the US needs to study new forms of hypersonic missiles like the likely missile that combines the aerodynamics of the HGV with the scramjet propulsion method of the HCM, which would help maintain a certain speed and certain maneuverability. This conversation we already had here in a few posts ago with China already testing these missile models in this format.
The report also highlights that it is difficult for a hypersonic missile to deploy decoys due to the harsh atmospheric environment, as both the HCM and HGV will be performing the trajectory at low altitudes. China has categorically already tested this on the G-FOBS we became aware of in October/November of last year, when the hypersonic missile deorbited and launched another missile into the atmosphere with DARPA gaping at the release of the Chinese test, saying that physically it is very difficult to do this, but China has already reached this technological level. Still in the same argument of decoys, the report states that unlike a ballistic missile that can deploy decoys, a hypersonic missile has the disadvantage of this ability, making the defender's job easier, I believe the report was quite optimistic if considering last year's Chinese test.
The report also states that hypersonic missiles are actually the ones that effectively maneuver less, compared to subsonic and supersonic missiles, although they have the ability to perform high curves, the hypersonic ones are less maneuverable than the others, the effectiveness of the hypersonic is precisely its speed combined with its atmospheric maneuverability. It also highlights that during the gliding phase, hypersonic weapons maneuver less to save energy, which makes hypersonic missiles vulnerable to this flight phase, the US is still initiating projects to intercept the missile in this phase, advanced projects are focused on terminal phase and pre-terminal phase like the GPI missile and also highlights that the PAC-SME and THAAD as well as the SM-6 would have to make incremental improvements in everything to have the C-HM (Counter-Hypersonic Missile) capability. .
Several other things are also important that I didn't highlight, it's worth reading the report or attending the conference.
Last edited:
Intercepting hypersonics that are maneuvering is (probably) so hard it may be near physically impossible with current missiles and the level of tech of current interceptor missiles. The interceptor would need some very clever predictive capability to make perfect use of available stored energy. A propelled HCM or a HCM that also makes use of aerodynamic "propulsion" like an HGV, would have such an energy advantage the problem would sort of be like a lazy fat child trying to catch a skipping rabbit. It would need to either get extremely lucky or "know" where to meet the target without resetting interception point every time the target moves.
It is difficult to develop along enough ranged interceptor missile that isn't at least the size of a SRBM and make use of various discarded boosters. The software solution simply is way too easy to counter again for the HGV and its developers. Perhaps all the Chinese and American efforts at developing and in China's case, performing HGV interceptions, may be possible or done out of ambition because they understand the actual details of HGV behaviour and their limits. Perhaps there is room for interception being well within the realm of possibility that at least these two nations are actively pursuing this.
It is difficult to develop along enough ranged interceptor missile that isn't at least the size of a SRBM and make use of various discarded boosters. The software solution simply is way too easy to counter again for the HGV and its developers. Perhaps all the Chinese and American efforts at developing and in China's case, performing HGV interceptions, may be possible or done out of ambition because they understand the actual details of HGV behaviour and their limits. Perhaps there is room for interception being well within the realm of possibility that at least these two nations are actively pursuing this.
Indeed, it would be nearly impossible for current interceptor missiles to successfully shoot down a hypersonic missile. For a given operating system today to have the necessary capacity to intercept an HM, it would need to offer expanded capabilities of software processing, missile propulsion, sensors and radars for tracking, high data retransmission speeds, seeker terminals among others and still operate at minimum at the same speed as the hypersonic missile that it proposes to shoot down and would obviously have to be a scramjet or some other propulsion system that offers the same advantages.
As this materializes, the interceptor does not need to be able to predict the trajectory of the HM, but it becomes more a matter of continuously tracking the enemy missile until it is within the range necessary for the terminal seeker to act. Because of the low flight altitudes of an HGV/HCM, the network of radars and sensors for tracking the hypersonic missile has to be space-based, in the report they say that the project of the space tracking system began in 2018, passing 4 years after the beginning of the project are already putting the first satellites with this dedicated function into orbit, the plan is to launch +50 dedicated satellites for C-HM, the problem is that the mid-haul interceptor will only be ready after 2030.
- After testing carbon foam on a prototype vehicle in a wind tunnel, experts say it ‘has great application potential’ as a coating material
- Team finds it could reduce impact of shock waves by more than 20 per cent and dramatically improve aerodynamic stability
The team at the China Aerodynamics Research and Development Centre said their testing – carried out in a wind tunnel – suggested the material could reduce the impact of shock waves by more than 20 per cent.
And they said it could improve a weapon’s aerodynamic stability by up to two orders of magnitude at the hypersonic speed of Mach 6.
China’s existing hypersonic weapons can travel at five times the speed of sound, Mach 5, or faster. The smooth surface of their hulls – made from super-hard materials such as titanium alloy and carbon fibre – is designed to reduce drag. But the shock waves that can be generated at hypersonic speeds could jeopardise a flight.
Hypersonic weapons have sophisticated flight control mechanisms to deal with shock waves and maintain stability, but researchers are looking for simpler solutions.
The team at the aerodynamics centre in Mianyang, Sichuan province, believe they may have found an answer.
Carbon foam “has great application potential” as a coating material for future hypersonic flight, said Tu Guohua, lead scientist of the study, in a paper published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics on Tuesday.
Carbon foam can be made from many things including coal, natural gas and even wood. It is a lightweight, stiff material with a rough surface and irregular pores formed by a web of carbon atoms.
Those tiny, air-breathing holes could prevent or slow down harmful turbulence in a hypersonic air stream, according to Tu’s team.
They noted that coating a high-speed aircraft with a rough material is not a new idea, and was first proposed by Russian physicist Alexander Fedorov at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology more than a decade ago.
Researchers around the world have sought to put the idea to the test by creating holes or cracks in tough materials like metals, ceramics and carbon fibre, but they encountered challenges in real-life applications.
Carbon foam is widely used to insulate aircraft and rockets. Until now, no one had considered using this cheap material to coat a hypersonic weapon.
Tu’s team started by looking at how the foam absorbs sound waves, collecting a lot of raw data for a computer to predict its aerodynamic performance at various speeds.
Its rough surface was less efficient at lower speeds, but in hypervelocity most of the drag came from shock waves, according to the computer modelling. It suggested that carbon foam could have an advantage.
The scientists tested the theory on a prototype hypersonic vehicle at a wind tunnel in Wuhan, Hubei province. The foam was wrapped around an area where shock waves would have the biggest impact.
They found that its spongy surface significantly reduced the energy density of the shock waves by stretching them and increasing their contact with the hypersonic vehicle, according to the paper.
Recent studies have suggested that carbon foam has other advantages when used on a weapon. For example, its porous structure is said to be highly efficient at absorbing electromagnetic waves, meaning it could potentially be used to help evade radar detection and tracking.
It could also be strengthened and its other physical properties adjusted in the production process or by adding extra elements.
But there are concerns that carbon foam could burn when exposed to oxygen in high temperatures. Researchers at the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation last year said this problem could be avoided by using a super-strong carbon foam.
They claimed theirs could survive at temperatures up to 3,000 degrees Celsius (5,430 Fahrenheit) – similar to that reached on the surface of a hypersonic weapon.