So what we have is a report of an anonymous third party source whose words are not exactly recorded. Of course, words and contexts will be changed. The US will be 'alarmed' or even 'terrified'. As the Chinese experimental missile travels, US military personnel will resign
en masse. Do I have it right?
Dont act smart when u know nothing.. hypersonic missile are like cruise missile, they can change their path with great directional when travel at mach 6-7. No missile system can intercept if a cruise missile goes at speed of mach 6-7.
Ballistic missile is fast but it's path is predictable and the alternation of the landing direction is limited.
I know something. In fact, I know much more than you guys.
The turn radius of the SR-71 at operating altitude is about 100 miles. Granted, at 80k ft, there is not that much air pressure on the flight control surfaces to make any maneuvers. But we can use the 2g heading change as a reference point.
If this Chinese hypersonic vehicle is designed to fly at much lower altitude, perhaps even near sea level to avoid radar detection, then we have to ask what are its maneuvering capabilities. Denser air will produce greater aerodynamic pressure on the flight control surfaces to make maneuvers, but greater physical pressures mean the vehicle must have sufficiently strong flight controls system to overcome that aerodynamics pressure. Currently, standard hydraulics is 3000 psi for up to 9g.
What are the flight controls surface dimensions? What are their deflection ranges? What are their deflection rates? Again, since this is unmanned, we can look at greater than 9g. So to make a greater than 9g maneuver at Mach 5 or more, we are looking at a missile that seems to be 'normal' size like a manned aircraft.
Maneuvers takes time and fuel. We can be sure that this hypersonic low altitude missile will
NOT carry its fuel in the wings but all in the fuselage. So how much maneuvers is it capable of performing? To maneuver at greater than 9g at Mach 5 or more, we are looking at a missile size like a manned aircraft.
If the missile is supposed to fly at lower altitude to avoid radar detection, that also mean its radar, if equipped, will also be limited to horizon. So how does it know when to maneuver?
Using the SR-71 as reference, we have a pretty good idea that at Mach 3 with a 2g turn, it come to a 100 miles turn radius. A one hundred miles arc is plenty enough distance for an interceptor to calculate a collision course. If the interceptor is subsonic, now we can add in time for the interceptor to make that calculation.
Approximates details of a turning plane, including tail speed and turn radius, given speed and bank angle.
www.csgnetwork.com
An AMRAAM can make that collision course calculation.
The bottom line is that this is no 'game changer' weapon. China is not ahead of US in hypersonic vehicle technology. If we use the
PUBLIC images of this experimental missile, it size looks more like a 5g or 6g turn at Mach 5, creating a large enough turn radius for a radar, perhaps an AWACS, to calculate a collision course to send to any interceptor missile.
