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What makes hypersonic flight so interesting?


Lockheed-Martin SR-72

The image above this text portrays Lockheed-Martin SR-72 hypersonic testbed from the year 2013. That means there must be many advantages after that year, and maybe that plane is old-fashion today. (Wikipedia, Lockheed-Martin SR-72)

The hype around the hypersonic flight is not ending. There are many things that people do not know about those systems, and one is that it's not so suitable for military use than people think. The speed of those aircraft and missiles is over Mach 10+. And that means they are hard to control. And if the defender can predict the route of the hypersonic missiles and aircraft they can send the defensive systems to the course against those incomers. 

But another thing is that about 1000 kilogram weight hypersonic glider can cause extremely bad damages to the target, and in simulations, the hypersonic gliders or HGS (Hypersonic Glide System) is often sent to target through the suborbital trajectories by using ballistic missiles. Those systems are new way designed warheads that can be armed with explosives, nuclear warheads or they can trust the kinetic energy. 

The power of the 500-1000 kilogram kinetic energy warhead can imagine when we are thinking that the GAU-9  "Avenger" cannon ammunition destroys tank by single ammunition which speed is Mach 1,5. The weight of that ammunition is less than 1 kilogram. So what would the projectile make the target if its weight is 1000 kilogram and speed is Mach 10?  

The HCS (Hypersonic Cruise System) is a cruise missile or aircraft that can patrol independently or it can connect to another aircraft. The system can also be a drone that patrols independently and when the order is given, the system starts to attack. The drone can have two different engine series. 

Those modes can be the normal cruise and the attack mode. The operation of those drones might be that the drone is closing the target by using normal supersonic jet engines, and suddenly it starts to accelerate to give a higher energetic impact to the target. Those systems are controlled by very advanced artificial intelligence.  But the fact is that they might not be so suitable weapons as hypersonic aircraft marketed. 

But the hypersonic systems can use to send satellites and space shuttles to the ballistic or suborbital trajectory and that kind of system is suitable for civilian and military purposes.  The hydrogen-powered scramjets can rise the small spacecraft to high altitude, where that craft is turning to use the rocket engines. This kind of hypersonic system doesn't require so much liquid oxygen as regular systems. 

And that thing leaves more room for the payload. Hypersonic aircraft can operate from regular airfields or aircraft carriers. That means that those aircraft can rise airborne from every point of the world. They can use as recon, strike, and ASAT/ABM missions. The small lightweight shuttles can operate also as space fighters. And that is a sad thing because it increases the militarization of space. 

Image:()https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_Martin_SR-72

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