12/31/2023 0 Comments 2021 space odyssey![]() ![]() Other countries are developing hypersonic missiles for their own specific purposes. With Russia and China already having developed HGVs, the US is being forced into a hypersonic race that requires further spending on new defensive systems designed to detect and neutralize these harder-to-spot missiles. The attempt at asymmetry, particularly the emphasis on finding newer and more novel ways to deliver nuclear payloads, has triggered the beginnings of another arms race. One, this is the first time since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 that the framework for this rivalry has shifted from minimum deterrence and détente to an attempt to gain asymmetric power in some areas, such as HGVs, artificial intelligence, machine learning and cybersecurity and two, the theatre for this rivalry has moved from Europe and land/air- based technology to the Indo-Pacific and naval/air/space-based technology. There are two major changes going on in big-power rivalry. The glide vehicle innovation means it can continue to travel at hypersonic speeds at a lower trajectory and with greater manoeuvrability even after it separates from the rocket. This engine technology must be carefully perfected because it is akin to ‘lighting a match in a hurricane’. The commonly-used technology underlying hypersonic missiles is an ‘air breathing scramjet engine’, so named because air from the atmosphere rams into the engine’s combustion chamber at supersonic speeds, where it mixes with fuel to ignite supersonic combustion. In addition to the US, Russia and China, Australia, India, France, Germany and Japan are said to be developing hypersonic technology. The word ‘hypersonic’ refers to the ability of missiles to travel at or greater than five times the speed of sound (or Mach 5). The US has been working hard at developing this technology but its test of an HGV last week was not successful. ![]() The Chinese HGV follows the successful development of a similar programme by Russia that tested its Avangard missiles over the last few years. The newer Chinese version of the system is a Hypersonic Glide Vehicle (HGV) and is capable of much lower orbital altitudes and far more flexible manoeuvring. Fobs was developed to carry a nuclear weapon into orbit at a lower trajectory than an ICBM and thus evade detection. The earlier hypersonic technology built during the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the US was called a “fractional orbital bombardment system" or Fobs. The Financial Times reported that China recently tested two hypersonic weapons that are potentially capable of evading missile defence systems that were built primarily to combat intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). Suddenly, the world finds itself at the beginning of a new military space race with China, the US and to a less extent Russia as the main participants. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |