Having learned about the presence of hypersonic weapons in Russia, against which the United States has no protection, some begin to look for the nearest bomb shelters. But what is this weapon, and how does it work?
In March, Vladimir Putin first mentioned a hypersonic weapon, codenamed Avangard. Recently, a US intelligence source told CNBC that a number of successful weapons tests have been carried out, and by 2020 Russia may have working samples.
Russia has released few details regarding the new weapon. Associate professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Notre Dame, Thomas Giuliano, who specializes in hypersonic flight, claims that based on known data, we are talking about a hypersonic glider.
Putin said that the weapon can reach speeds of Mach 20 (20 times the speed of sound) and can evade American missile defense systems. According to intelligence, the gliders are presumably equipped with nuclear warheads.
Glider develops high speed not independently, but with the help of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Typically, these rockets are sent into space along an arcuate trajectory, and at the top of the parabola, the warheads are separated, which descend to the target at hypersonic speeds under the force of gravity.
But instead of falling to the ground, the Vanguard enters the atmosphere at an angle, and its aerodynamic shape allows it to glide at hypersonic speed. According to Giuliano, thanks to this, the glider is able to fly a greater distance and maneuver.
Hyperengineering
Promotional video:
Giuliano reports that the glider's design resembles a "wave flight". This is a hypersonic aircraft, the wedge-shaped fuselage of which does not allow it to descend and allows it to move along the crest of the shock wave that appears as the glider flies at high speed.
This is important for high altitudes with low air density, where conventional wings cannot keep the craft from falling. Giuliano notes that the glider does not need large wings, so it has a more streamlined shape and is able to maintain speed for a long time.
According to Giuliano, creating an apparatus that can withstand hypersonic speed and associated temperatures is a challenge. But the Russian development bypassed one of the main problems: this is the design of the power plant.
“Developing a workable engine to travel at speeds of Mach 10 and above is extremely difficult,” says Giuliano. "But with the attachment of the glider to the ICBM, there is no need to develop a hypersonic jet engine."
Controlling a glider at high speeds is extremely difficult. Russia claims that the Avangard is highly maneuverable. Judging by the video provided, the device has several flaps for changing the trajectory, they are similar to aircraft.
According to Giuliano, it is difficult to control the aircraft with flaps at hypersonic speeds due to the shock wave, which contacts the air passing over the glider surfaces, which leads to "nonlinear" motion.
The slightest adjustments change the trajectory abruptly, and it is difficult to determine the position of the flaps necessary for maneuvering. “Movement must be precise and fast, and it takes creativity to predict the behavior of the environment,” says Giuliano.
Be that as it may, Giuliano believes that the information provided by Russia is reliable, since the technology has been worked on for a long time. In 2010 and 2011, America tested its own Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2 device, but both flights were unsuccessful. China also has its own experimental system called DF-ZF.
What is the device for?
Pavel Podvig, an independent analyst specializing in Russian nuclear weapons, says that by creating a hypersonic glider, Russia intends to bypass American missile defense systems.
Existing American defense systems are capable of destroying conventional ICBM warheads that follow a predictable trajectory while still in space. In Feat's view, these systems are not prepared to intercept gliders that move at high speed in the atmosphere. In addition, unlike conventional warheads, gliders will be able to maneuver.
But Podvig reports that the military use of the new devices remains in question. The feat told Live Science that the tasks for the new weapon have yet to be determined: “In my opinion, such an opportunity is not needed. In terms of destroying targets, it does not affect anything."
The feat emphasized that the UR-100N UTTH ballistic missile, which was used in the Avangard tests, as a rule, carries six conventional warheads. The feat says that to counter missile defense systems, it is enough just to use a larger number of warheads.
But the emergence of such weapons can lead to dangerous instability, as they are not subject to arms control agreements such as START III, which force countries to disclose the number, type and location of devices capable of carrying nuclear weapons. In addition, the possibilities and ways of potential use of hypersonic gliders have not yet been determined.
The feat believes: "With the advent of these systems, the risk of miscalculation increases, and it is not known whether countries will be able to effectively assess this risk."
Space News reporters report that in an effort to get rid of some uncertainty, the Pentagon is considering placing sensors in space to track hypersonic weapons. This will require entire constellations of expensive satellites, but they will better cope with the detection of gliders in the upper atmosphere and surpass terrestrial systems in terms of the size of the controlled territory.
The feat claims that such systems will be able to detect hypersonic weapons in flight, but it is unclear if this will help in intercepting such fast and agile gliders.
Anton Komarov