Interception technology is getting better and better with more advancements in sensors and AI, So, no, I don't think Mach 18 vs Mach 8 brings little value. Speed and manuverability is the only to avoid interception for Missiles.
H-20 bomber (with H-X, JH-XX)
- Thread starter Deino
- Start date
CJ1000 is very large because it is launched from the ground and needs a very large booster to give it the initial kick. The is not the case when it is launched by a plane traveling high subsonic speed at high altitude.
What is a GJ-X? Something we have seen or just a rumored product?
Check out the UCAV/CCA/flying wing drone thread. The news is less than 2 days old.
On shooting down a missile at Mach 5 versus a Mach 18.
I expect it's the difference between using a THAAD-type missile ($12 Mn) versus a GBI ($90 Mn).
And how many GBI are there?
Need to consider the cruising altitude as well. Don’t remember the figures, but majority of SAMs can’t reach HCM’s altitude and ballistic missile defense missiles can’t intercept missiles within the atmosphere.
Some BMD are higher atmosphere, fast target focused e.g. HQ-9C, PAC3 MSE, THAAD. Most beefy BMD are indeed focused on intercepting targets in space. It's usually what we associate with BMD but tonnes of long range AD can deal with very high altitude targets. Even older missiles like HQ-9B and S-400 have some limited capacity even though their longer ranged missiles are designed to intercept cruise missiles, larger aircraft and more focused on slant range rather than altitude or climb rate.
Only the US and China possess the wider range of capable and modern missiles. Even 40N6 is not going to be much of a threat against HCM and HGV since it's designed to shoot less agile, larger aircraft. But HQ-9C and PAC3 MSE exist. So does SM-6, THAAD and HQ-19.
I don’t know why HCM would be easier than HGV or BM. The latter fly higher arch and thinner air so should be able to go further. HCM could be harder to intercept since it can sustain speed better and probably turn more precisely.
but if we are just looking for air lofted missile so that can go 7000 km. I think something close to DF26 should be able to do that.
Yes, GJ-X
We haven’t seen an air launched cruise missile yet, but my guess is that it’s harder to do.
either way, my point is that if IWB can be like 10m, then you can launch a very large nuclear tipped missile that can probably go 7000 km.
also, there will be capabilities to carry multiple large hypersonic missiles that something like GJ-X and J36 would carry.
At the moment, the US doesn't have a SAM system designed for the speeds and thin atmosphere that a Hypersonic Cruise Missile would fly at?
So they would need to develop yet another hypersonic SAM system.
But given that the Pentagon is saying that there is an aerospace engineer shortage, this will force some difficult decisions on other programmes.
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I think they'll just develop both an HCM and large ALBM for the H-20.