What is the new Russian rocket hyper speed. Hypersonic missile "zircon": why NATO is afraid of new Russian weapons. Hidden threats, or what is behind NASA's space programs

Hypersonic technologies, which were embodied in the Russian Zircon missile, are a new word in the military sphere. This fact is acknowledged by both Russian and foreign experts. In "Zircon" it was possible to achieve the highest manufacturability. And even if the project is classified, it is already known about successful tests.

Judging by the declared characteristics, the main trump card of this weapon is speed. About 8 M, this is more than 9000 km / h, which was recorded at the peak of the trajectory - this is a guarantee that it is absolutely impossible to intercept a missile with existing defenses.

History of hypersonic missiles

The era of hypersonic missiles can be counted from the appearance of the first prototypes. Already Nazi Germany led such developments, but, obviously, the technologies were not developed enough to prepare a successful solution. Hypersound has always attracted the attention of the world's leading military powers. The possession of such weapons guaranteed a significant advantage in any possible conflict.

The first successes had to wait a long time. The Soviet Union received a successful project only in the 80s of the twentieth century. The Kh-90 GELA missile was able to reach approximately 3,000 km/h. But the developments were urgently curtailed due to the collapse of the country and a catastrophic lack of budget.

The X-90 GELA turned out to be a very successful weapon.

She could carry two nuclear warheads, because of the plasma cloud formed around her - to remain invisible to detection systems. The main trump cards - the speed of 2.5 M and the ability to maneuver - made the interception of the missile a very difficult task. Recall that the speed M is the Mach speed, or the Mach number. In fact, this is the speed of sound propagation, it is different at different heights: near the ground it is 1224 km / h, at an altitude of 20 km - 1062 km / h

The second round of development of hypersonic weapons has already started in a new country, Russia. Presumably, tests began to be carried out in the mid-00s. Already in 2011, the project began to be finalized and improved. The new missile was named 3K22 Zircon. Tests and improvements passed quickly enough. It took only a few years, from 2012 to the end of 2013. Already in 2016, it was announced that the project was recognized as successful and would go into service.

The main difficulties at hypersonic speeds

Hypersonic and supersonic technologies took so long to develop for the simple reason that their implementation required the latest ideas and unique engineering solutions.

Today, anti-ship missiles are widely used, which develop a speed of 3-4 thousand km / h or 2.5-3 M. But such cruise weapons have their drawbacks. So, they are launched in the direction of the target, deprived of the ability to effectively maneuver. Missiles gain high altitude, which almost immediately allows them to be detected and calculated the trajectory of movement. The attacked object has more chances to successfully leave the affected area.

Higher speeds (which Zircon is currently developing) led to understandable difficulties.

Flights even in the upper layers of the atmosphere (about 20 km) with more than 3 M of speed were marked by the appearance of a thermal barrier. Due to air resistance, the main parts were subjected to serious heat. So, the air intakes reached 3000C, and other parts, even with excellent streamlining qualities, were heated up to 2500.

During the tests, it became clear that:

• duralumin elements, widely used in aviation, greatly lose strength already at 2300;
• at 5200 titanium and its alloys begin to deform;
• at 6500, the melting of magnesium and aluminum begins, even heat-resistant steel significantly loses its rigidity.

If we talk about a flight altitude of less than 20 km (which would lead to difficulties in detecting and intercepting), then the heating of the skin would reach 10,000C, which no known metal can withstand. Temperature is the main problem of hypersonic speeds.

Even if we do not take into account the huge heating of the metal and the parts necessary for guidance, the fuel begins to boil and decompose, losing its properties.

The problem could be solved with the use of hydrogen. But in liquid form, it is quite dangerous and difficult to store. And in the gaseous it takes up a large volume and has a low efficiency. Serious and long developments required an antenna operating at radio frequency. Classical signal receivers certainly burned out in a matter of seconds of hypersonic flight. The lack of communication with the center would lead to uncontrollable weapons and the loss of very important advantages.

Hypersonic missile "Zircon"

The solutions used on the Zircon hypersonic missile were tested on the Kh-90 GELA. Then the unique developments allowed to significantly increase the maximum speed of the new carrier. For example, in order to catch a radio signal, they began to use a plasma cloud that formed in flight.

In order to reduce the heating of all parts of the rocket, it was decided to use fuel with a high hydrogen content mixed with water and kerosene. The bottom line was that the mixture was heated and fed into a mini-reactor, where hydrogen was released for acceleration. The reaction itself was accompanied by a decrease in temperature, which made it possible to cool the shell and parts. All these ideas made it possible to come close to achieving even supersonic.

Known specifications 3K22 "Zircon"

The Zircon's speed allows it to freely bypass all currently existing missile defense and air defense systems. In support of these words, data from open sources are cited that advanced American anti-missile systems respond to an object in 8-10 seconds. Obviously, the Zircon, even at cruising speed, will overcome 15-20 km during this time and turn into an unattainable goal. He will not be able to catch up, not to intercept.

Little is known about the armament of the missile. However, today Zircon is positioned as a complex of anti-ship missiles. Probably, its main targets will be well-fortified aircraft carriers. Hence the second name - "aircraft carrier killer".

Design and where Zircon will be used

The Zircon missile was kept a closely guarded secret for a long time. And today, very few people managed to see this weapon with their own eyes. Nevertheless, we can conclude that the length of the rocket reaches 8 ... 10 m. It has a tail, as well as fairings in the middle part.

A characteristic feature can be called the nose, which is a flattened fairing, distributed to the sides.

It is planned to replace the P-700 Granit complex with hypersonic missiles. To date, the flagships of the fleet, the Admiral Nakhimov and Peter the Great, were armed with them and carriers of the Onyx and Caliber types. After their reconstruction, it is likely that the Zircons will form the basis of weapons.

Already in 2018, "Admiral Nakhimov" should undergo a complete modernization. "Peter the Great" - in 2022. New projects are also calculated for arming with Zircons.
These include:

• nuclear destroyers of the Leader project;

submarines of projects 885M "Ash-M" and "Husky".

According to the possible number of missiles, it is planned to install up to 60 Zircons on the ships Admiral Nakhimov and Peter the Great.

Hypersonic projects of the USA and other countries

Leading analysts of the world admit that Russia has managed the almost impossible, having overcome the speed of 7 Mach. Until recently, such acceleration was considered unattainable. "Zircon" flies at a speed of 8 M.

Zircon's competitors

The main competitor of Zircon is the US project AHW, which is capable of accelerating to Mach 7.5. It, like the Russian development, is a secret. It is only known that his tests pass with varying degrees of success. In 2011, out of two launches, one ended in an explosion. In 2014, the Americans, presumably, also failed.

Another direction - X-43A and X-51 Wave Ryder missiles give out 9.65 and 5.1 M, respectively. But the first tests showed that the engine on the X-43 worked no more than 11 seconds, and on the X-51 - 6 minutes. China is imposing serious competition on Russia and the United States. The PRC is developing a DF-ZF project. It is believed that the speed of the rocket fluctuates in the range of 5 ... 10 M. A serious advantage of the Chinese is that they plan to develop hypersonic weapons for installation on aircraft.

The future of the 3K22 project, if successfully implemented, is obvious.

If this super-secret project really gives out the declared characteristics in terms of speed and range of destruction, then this type of weapon was decades ahead of its time. Experts believe that the most advanced powers will be able to neutralize the advantages of Zircon not earlier than in 30 ... 50 years.

The adopted missiles will provide Russia with an advantage at sea. Based aboard submarines, they will protect the nearest borders of our country, threatening the enemy's large maritime formations.

Video

Serial name: 3m22;

Affiliation: interspecific missile system 3k22 "Zircon";

Developer: NPO Mashinostroeniya;

Start of development: 2011.

Main characteristics:

• Hypersonic (that is, at least 5 times faster than the speed of sound);
• Winged, unmanned, single launch;
• High precision.

Appearance: box-shaped chopped body made of new heat-resistant alloys, flattened spade-shaped fairing ("nose").

New Russian rocket Zircon.

Tactical and technical characteristics of a new generation rocket

Information is indicative, according to indirect data and unconfirmed information, since officially the Russian hypersonic cruise missile Zirkon 3M22 has not yet entered service.

The expected movement of the new generation rocket can be seen in the report of Channel One.

Possible carriers (sea-based):

• heavy nuclear cruisers of the "Orlan" type; "Peter the Great"; "Admiral Nakhimov";
• heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser "Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov" (after modernization);
• nuclear destroyers "Leader" (project 23560);
• nuclear submarines of the Yasen-M series (improved fourth generation, project 885m); "Antey" (949a); "Husky" (fifth generation, in a special modification).

Background of the Russian hypersonic cruise missile

The Soviet Union was the first to arm itself with mass-produced anti-ship cruise missiles. Zircon has become the latest development of Russian scientists. And the first copy was the Termit rocket (P-15). In the 70s, supersonic and hypersonic cruise missiles of a new generation (X-50) were developed, but the work was not completed due to the collapse of the USSR.

project "Spiral" was launched this year

The first hypersonic aircraft should be a booster aircraft for the Spiral project (orbital aircraft), launched in 1965.

Accelerator-scout, - he is the product "50-50" - is:

• 38-meter tailless aircraft;
• triangular wing with a 16.5 m long swirl;
• lowered bow;
• hypersonic air intake;
• fundamentally new turbojet engines:
  on kerosene: M = 4, range = 6-7 thousand km,
  on liquid hydrogen: M=5, range = 12000 km.

The aircraft was tested at TsAGI, but in the 70s the project was also closed.

In 1979, they again returned to the topic of hypersonic engines. To recreate the conditions of their work, anti-aircraft missiles were used: instead of a warhead, they put a block with equipment for testing.

• Based on the 5V28 missiles, which were just about to be sent for decommissioning, there was a hypersonic flying laboratory "Cold". For seven launches in 1991-1999. the operating time of the tested E-57 engine was brought up to 77 seconds, the speed - up to 1855 m / s (~ 6.5M);
• On the basis of the Rokot launch vehicle (a descendant of the intercontinental UR-100N), the Igla flying laboratory was created. The layout of which can still be seen at air shows. Working conditions of the laboratory: M = 6-14, altitude = 25-50 km, flight time - 7-12 minutes.

Timeline of development of hypersonic cruise missiles

The development of the hypersonic Zircon belongs to the NPO Mashinostroeniya and begins in 2011.

Tests of anti-ship cruise missiles 3m22 Zirkon

News about the tests appeared several times in various news agencies, but there was not a single official confirmation, and the sources were also not disclosed. The reality of the claimed tests is in question - are they not just a show of force to intimidate a potential adversary?

They promise to take the promising missile into service in 2020, mass deliveries and the transition to hypersound are predicted for a longer period - by 2040.

Perspectives and criticism

According to the project, the Zircon 3M22 anti-ship cruise missile of the new generation is universal, it can be used by almost all ships, as well as the army (ground forces), military space forces, etc. However, due to the small amount of official information, many aspects of the design remain controversial.

With the successful resolution of all possible problems, Zircon is a weapon that threatens to become exactly that formidable answer, as it is positioned in the media. It is assumed that the new Zircon missile will reduce the importance of aircraft carriers and capital ships in the battle, as well as stimulate other states to modernize the ship's air defense.

Flights of "three-wing" aircraft were accompanied by a frantic heating of the structure. The temperature of the edges of the air intakes and the leading edge of the wing reached 580-605 K, and the rest of the skin 470-500 K. The consequences of such heating are evidenced by the fact that even at a temperature of 370 K, the organic glass used in cockpit glazing softens and the fuel begins to boil.

At 400 K, the strength of duralumin decreases, at 500 K, the chemical decomposition of the working fluid in the hydraulic system and the destruction of the seals occur. At 800 K, titanium alloys lose the necessary mechanical properties. At temperatures above 900 K, aluminum and magnesium melt, heat-resistant steel loses its properties.

The flights were carried out in the stratosphere at an altitude of 20,000 meters in highly rarefied air. Achieving a speed of 3M at lower altitudes was not possible - the skin temperature would have reached four-digit values.

Over the next half century, a number of measures were proposed to combat the scalding fury of atmospheric heating. Beryllium alloys and new ablative materials, composites based on boron and carbon fibers, plasma spraying of refractory coatings…

Despite the successes achieved, the thermal barrier still remains a serious obstacle to hypersound. Obstacle mandatory, but not the only one.

Supersonic flight is extremely costly in terms of required thrust and fuel consumption. And the level of complexity of this problem is rapidly increasing with a decrease in flight altitude.

To date, none of the existing types of aircraft and cruise missiles has been able to develop a speed = 3M at sea level.

The record holder among manned aircraft was the MiG-23. Due to its relatively small size, variable sweep wing and powerful R-29-300 engine, it was able to develop 1700 km/h close to the ground. More than anyone in the world!

Cruise missiles showed a slightly better result, but also failed to reach the Mach 3 bar. Among the variety of anti-ship missile weapons, worldwide, only four anti-ship missiles can fly twice the speed of sound at sea level. Among them:

— ZM80 "Mosquito"(starting weight 4 tons, max. speed at an altitude of 14 km - 2.8M, at sea level - 2M)

— ZM55 "Onyx"(starting weight 3 tons, maximum speed at an altitude of 14 km - 2.6M)

— ZM54 "Caliber"

- as well as, Russian-Indian "BrahMos"(launch weight 3 tons, design speed at low altitude 2M).

Most close to the cherished 3M crept promising "Caliber". Thanks to the multi-stage layout, its detachable warhead (which itself is the third stage) is capable of reaching a speed of Mach 2.9 at the finish line. However, not for long - the separation and dispersal of warheads is carried out in the immediate vicinity of the target. On the marching section, the ZM54 flies at subsonic.

It is worth noting that there is no information on testing and practical development of the ZM54 separation algorithm. Despite the common name, the ZM54 missile has little in common with those Calibers that set off an unforgettable fireworks display in the sky over the Caspian Sea last fall (subsonic missile launcher for strikes against land targets, ZM14 index).

It can be stated that a rocket that develops a speed of > 2M at low altitude, in the literal sense, is still only tomorrow.

You have already noticed that each of the three anti-ship missiles capable of developing 2M on the cruising leg of the flight (Moskit, Onyx, Brahmos) is distinguished by exceptional weight and size characteristics. The length is 8-10 meters, the launch weight is 7-8 times higher than the performance of subsonic anti-ship missiles. At the same time, their warheads are relatively small, they account for about 8% of the launch mass of the rocket. And the flight range at low altitude barely reaches 100 km.

The possibility of aircraft basing these missiles remains in question. Due to their length, the Mosquito and Brahmos cannot fit into the UVP, they require separate launchers on the decks of ships. As a result, the number of carriers of supersonic anti-ship missiles can be counted on the fingers of one hand.

At this point, it is worth turning to the title topic of this article.

ZM22 "Zircon" is a hypersonic sword of the Russian Navy. Myth or reality?

A rocket that is talked about so much, but no one has even seen its outlines. What will this superweapon look like? What are its possibilities? And the main question is how realistic are the plans to create such anti-ship missiles at the modern technological level?

After reading a long introduction about the torment of the creators of supersonic aircraft and cruise missiles, many of the readers, for sure, gained doubts about the realism of the existence of Zircon.

A fire arrow flying on the border of supersonic and hypersonic, capable of hitting sea targets at ranges of 500 kilometers or more. Whose overall dimensions do not exceed the established restrictions when placed in UKKS cells.

The 3S14 universal ship-based firing system is an 8-round below-deck vertical launcher for launching the entire range of missiles of the Caliber family. Max. the length of the transport and launch container with the rocket is 8.9 meters. Restriction on starting weight - up to three tons. It is planned that ten such modules (80 launch silos) will form the basis of strike weapons on the modernized nuclear-powered Orlans.

Promising superweapon or another unfulfilled promise? Doubts are in vain.

The appearance of a supersonic anti-ship missile capable of reaching a speed of Mach 4.5 in flight is the next logical step in the improvement of missile weapons. It is curious that missiles similar in characteristics have been in service with the leading fleets of the world for 30 years already. One index is enough to understand what is at stake.

Anti-aircraft missile 48N6E2 as part of the S-300FM Fort naval anti-aircraft system:
The length and diameter of the hull are standard for all missiles of the S-300 family.
Length = 7.5 m, diameter of the rocket with folded wings = 0.519 m.
Starting weight 1.9 tons.
Warhead - high-explosive fragmentation weighing 180 kg.
The estimated range of destruction of the CC is up to 200 km.
Speed ​​- up to 2100 m / s (SIX speeds of sound).

SAM 48N6E2 as part of the S-300PMU2 Favorit land complex

How justified is the comparison of anti-aircraft missiles with anti-ship missiles?

There are not so many conceptual differences. The anti-aircraft 48N6E2 and the promising Zircon are guided missiles with all the ensuing consequences.

Sailors are well aware of the hidden capabilities of shipboard air defense systems. Half a century ago, during the first firing of anti-aircraft missiles, an obvious discovery was made: at a line-of-sight range, missiles will be the first to launch. They have a smaller mass of the warhead, but their reaction time is 5-10 times less compared to anti-ship missiles! This tactic was widely used in "skirmishes" at sea. The Yankees damaged the Iranian frigate with the “Standard” (1988). Russian sailors with the help of "Wasp" dealt with the Georgian boats.

The bottom line is that if a conventional missile defense system with a disabled proximity fuse can be used against ships, then why create a special tool for hitting surface targets on its basis? The advantage will be high flight speed, at the turn of hypersound.

The main disadvantage is the high-altitude flight profile, which makes the missile vulnerable to breaking through enemy air defenses.

What are the main design differences between missiles and anti-ship missiles?

Guidance system.

To detect targets beyond the horizon, anti-ship missiles need an active radar seeker.

It is worth noting that anti-aircraft missiles with ARGSN have long been used in the world. The first of them (the European "Aster") was put into service over ten years ago. A similar missile was created by the Americans (Standard-6). The domestic analogue is 9M96E and E2 - anti-aircraft missiles of the ship's air defense system "Redut".

At the same time, detecting a 100-meter ship should be easier than aiming at an actively maneuvering point-sized object (aircraft or KR).

Engine.

Most anti-aircraft missiles are equipped with a solid propellant rocket engine, whose operating time is limited to seconds. The operating time of the 48N6E2 rocket propulsion engine is only 12 s, after which the rocket flies by inertia, controlled by aerodynamic rudders. As a rule, the flight range of missiles along a quasi-ballistic trajectory, with a marching section high in the stratosphere, does not exceed 200 km (the most “long-range”), which is quite enough to fulfill the tasks assigned to them.

Anti-ship weapons, on the contrary, are equipped with turbojet engines - for long-term, for tens of minutes, flight in dense layers of the atmosphere. At a much lower speed than is customary with anti-aircraft missiles.

The creators of the 4-machine "Zircon" will obviously have to abandon any turbojet and ramjet engines, using the proven technique with a powder turbojet engine.

The task of increasing the flight range is solved by a multi-stage layout. For example, the American Standard-3 interceptor missile has a range of 700 km, and the interception altitude is limited to low Earth orbit.

The Standard-3 is a four-stage rocket (launch booster Mk.72, two sustainer stages and a detachable kinetic interceptor with its own engines for trajectory correction). After the separation of the third stage, the speed of the warhead reaches Mach 10!

It is noteworthy that the Standard-3 is a relatively light compact weapon, with a starting weight of ~ 1600 kg. The anti-missile is placed in a standard VHP cell aboard any American destroyer.

The anti-missile does not have a warhead. The main and only striking element is its fourth stage (an infrared sensor, a computer and a set of engines), crashing at full speed into the enemy.

Returning to the Zircon, the author sees no fundamental obstacles to an anti-aircraft missile, which has a lower speed and a flatter trajectory than Standard-3, after passing through the apogee, could safely return to the dense layers of the atmosphere. After that, detect and attack the target, falling like a star onto the deck of the ship.

The development and creation of hypersonic anti-ship missiles based on existing anti-aircraft missiles is the most optimal solution in terms of minimizing technical risks and financial costs.

A) shooting at moving sea targets at a distance of over 500 km. Due to the high flight speed of the Zircon, its flight time will be reduced to 10-15 minutes. Which will automatically solve the problem of data obsolescence.

Previously, as now, anti-ship missiles are launched in the direction of the likely location of the target. By the time of arrival in the specified square, the target may already go beyond its limits, making it impossible to detect the missile's seeker.

B) from the previous paragraph follows the possibility of effective firing at ultra-long distances, which will make the rocket the “long arm” of the fleet. The ability to deliver operational strikes at a huge range. The reaction time of such a system is ten times less than that of an aircraft carrier wing.

C) going on the attack from the zenith, along with the unexpectedly high speed of the missile (after braking in dense layers of the atmosphere, it will be about 2M), will make most of the existing short-range defense systems ineffective ("Daggers", "Goalkeepers", RIM-116 etc.)

At the same time, the negative points will be:

1. Altitude flight path. Already a second after the launch, the enemy will notice the launch of the missile and begin to prepare to repel the attack.

Speed ​​\u003d 4.5M is not a panacea here. The characteristics of the domestic S-400 make it possible to intercept air targets flying at speeds up to 10M.

The new American SAM "Standard-6" has a maximum height of destruction of 30 km. Last year, with its help, the most distant interception of the VTs in naval history (140+ kilometers) was carried out in practice. And the powerful radar and computing capabilities of Aegis allow destroyers to hit targets in near-Earth orbits.

2. The second problem is a weak warhead. Someone will say that at such speeds you can do without it. But it's not.

Anti-aircraft missile "Talos" without a warhead almost cut the target in half (exercises off the coast of California, 1968).

The Talos main stage weighed one and a half tons (more than any of the existing rockets) and was equipped with a ramjet engine. Upon hitting the target, an unused supply of kerosene detonated. Speed ​​at the moment of impact = 2M. The target was a WWII escort destroyer (1100 tons), whose dimensions corresponded to modern RTOs.

The hit of Talos in a cruiser or destroyer (5000 - 10000 tons), logically, could not lead to serious consequences. There are many cases in maritime history when ships, having received numerous through holes from armor-piercing shells, remained in service. So, the American aircraft carrier "Kalinin Bay" in the battle near about. Samar was pierced through 12 times.

The Zircon anti-ship missile needs a warhead. However, due to the need to ensure a speed of 4.5M and limited weight and dimensions when placed in the UVP, the mass of the warhead will not exceed 200 kg (the estimate is given based on examples of existing missiles).

Rocket "Zircon" reached 8 speeds of sound

The Zircon hypersonic anti-ship missile reached eight speeds of sound in tests. TASS reports citing a source in the military-industrial complex.

“During the tests of the rocket, it was confirmed that its speed on the march reaches Mach 8,” the source said.

The source of the agency also noted that Zircon missiles can be launched from 3S14 universal launchers, which are also used for Caliber and Onyx missiles. At the same time, the interlocutor of the agency did not specify when and from what platform the launch was carried out.

According to TASS sources, the Zircon is undergoing state tests this year. Adoption is expected in 2018.

The same interlocutor noted that the newest Russian multi-purpose nuclear submarines of the fifth generation of the Husky class, as well as the Russian heavy nuclear missile cruiser Pyotr Veliky, will be armed with Zircon missiles.

For the first time, statements about the start of development of a complex with a sea-based Zircon hypersonic cruise missile appeared in the media in February 2011. Tests of the Zircon rocket began in March 2016. They passed from the ground launch complex, since, apparently, the sea carriers were not ready.

The Zircon missile is being developed by NPO Mashinostroeniya (Reutov, Moscow Region) for the Russian Navy. It will implement the principle of the so-called motor hypersound.
Hypersound is speed above five Mach numbers. Mach 1 corresponds to the speed of sound - about 300 meters per second or 1,224 km / h.

Hypersonic missile "Zircon"

Zirkon (3M22) is a Russian hypersonic anti-ship cruise missile, which is part of the 3K22 Zirkon complex. The fundamental difference of this missile is a significantly higher (Max 8) flight speed, both in comparison with other Russian anti-ship missiles, and with anti-ship missiles in service with other countries. At the beginning of 2017, there are no anti-aircraft missiles in the world capable of shooting down hypersonic targets. This missile is planned to replace the P-700 Granit heavy anti-ship missile. Zircon will also complement the latest Russian anti-ship missiles P-800 Onyx, Caliber (3M54), Kh-35 Uran.

Approximate performance characteristics:
- range 350-500 km.
- length 8-10 m.
- Mach 8 speed
- guidance: INS + ARLGLS

Possible carriers: TARKR "Admiral Nakhimov"; TARKR "Peter the Great" (during the modernization of 2019-2022); nuclear destroyers of project 23560 "Leader"; nuclear submarine project 885M "Ash-M"; Fifth-generation nuclear submarine "Husky" modified to destroy aircraft carrier strike groups.

In 2015, it became known that a fundamentally new fuel, Decilin-M, had already been created for hypersonic cruise missiles in Russia, which makes it possible to increase the range of strategic cruise missiles by 250–300 km.

According to Dmitry Bulgakov, Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, "the recipe has already been created, and the energy that is accumulated in this fuel will allow our products to exceed the speed of Mach 5." The representative of the Ministry of Defense added that specialists have developed a number of rocket fuel components with the use of aluminum nanoparticles with a density and energy intensity increased by almost 20%. This allows you to increase the payload.

Forecasts and comments

In September 2016, Boris Obnosov, CEO of the Tactical Missiles Corporation (KTRV), said that hypersonic weapons could appear in Russia "at the beginning of the next decade." “A number of projects are also being carried out with the Advanced Research Foundation under the Military Industrial Commission. Believe me, we already have interesting results in this area, ”said the head of KTRV and noted that when working on hypersonic projects, Russian scientists use the developments of the USSR - research projects Cold and Cold-2.

He stressed that “it would be simply impossible to make hypersonic weapons from scratch,” but today “technology has reached the required level.”

The difficulty, according to Obnosov, lies in the fact that no one knew how the speed of 8-10 Machs would affect the operation of the rocket. “Under such conditions, plasma is formed near the surface of the rocket, the temperature regimes are outrageous,” he said.

Comparison

In his article, military analyst, doctor of military sciences Konstantin Sivkov writes: “A comparison of the performance characteristics of Zircon and Standard-6 shows that our missile hits the border of the American missile defense zone in height and almost doubles the maximum speed of aerodynamic targets allowed for it - 1,500 versus 800 meters per second. Conclusion: the American Standard-6 cannot hit our "swallow". In general, it can be stated that Standard-6, the most effective missile defense system in the Western world, has meager opportunities to defeat Zircon.

The researcher emphasizes that “hypersonic AOS are also being intensively developed in the United States. But the Americans directed their main efforts to the creation of strategic hypersonic missiles. Data on the development in the United States of anti-ship hypersonic missiles like the Zircon is not yet available, at least in the public domain. Therefore, it can be assumed that the superiority of the Russian Federation in this area will last for quite a long time - up to 10 years or more.

China tested an ICBM equipped with a hypersonic gliding warhead detachable from the carrier back in 2014. At present, in addition to the United States, Russia and China, India is also developing high-tech hypersonic strategic weapons.

Soviet X-90

X-90 (US DOD classification: AS-X-21) - hypersonic cruise missile
Main tactical and technical characteristics:
- Weight = 15 t
- Speed, cruising = 4-5M
- Wingspan = 6.8-7 m
– Length = 8-9 m
- Launch range = 3000-3500 km (RMD-2)
- Number / power of the BB, pcs / kt \u003d 2/200

According to the designers, the machine quickly heated up from air resistance, which destroyed the device or rendered the mechanisms inside the case inoperable. To achieve hypersonics, a ramjet engine required hydrogen, or at least a fuel consisting largely of hydrogen. And this is difficult to implement technically, since gaseous hydrogen has a low density. The storage of liquid hydrogen created other insurmountable technical difficulties. Also, during a hypersonic flight, a plasma cloud arose around the X-90, which burned the radio antennas, which led to a loss of control of the device.

These shortcomings have been corrected. The problem of cooling the hull and hydrogen fuel was solved by using a mixture of kerosene and water as its components. After heating, it was fed into a special catalytic mini-reactor, in which an endothermic reaction of catalytic conversion took place, as a result of which hydrogen fuel was produced. This process led to a strong cooling of the body of the apparatus. The problem of burning radio antennas was also solved, which began to use the plasma cloud itself.

At the same time, the plasma cloud allowed the device not only to move in the atmosphere at a speed of 5 km per second, but also to do it in “broken” trajectories. In addition, the plasma cloud also created the effect of invisibility of the apparatus for radar. The X-90 did not enter service; work on the missile was suspended back in 1992.