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Pa i ja bih rekao da su za sada ovo testovi u laboratorijskim uslovima.
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Nije moguće čitanje ove vesti bez pretplate ali evo jednog izvora na engleskom za koji verujem da je preneo od reči do reči sadržaj teksta sa SCMP.
+ Hypersonic missiles can be made from steel, reach Mach 8 speed, claims ChinaHypersonic missiles can be made from steel, reach Mach 8 speed, claims China
Once considered almost impossible to achieve, the Chinese scientists say that they have been able to do this with the help of a new thermal protection technology.
China’s DF-17, a medium-range missile system equipped with a hypersonic glide vehicle. (Representational image)
Scientists in China state that they have found out a way to fit steel – in place of the heavy and costly tungsten – in nose cones on the tip of hypersonic missiles.
Once considered almost impossible to achieve, the Chinese scientists say that they have been able to do this with the help of a new thermal protection technology.
According to a report by South China Morning Post (SCMP), the scientists have presented the design for a hypersonic glide anti-ship missile in a peer-reviewed paper published in the Chinese journal Acta Armamentarii.
According to the SCMP report, the team of scientists is led by Huang Fenglei, a professor at the Beijing Institute of Technology.
If the use of steel nose in missile cone is achieved, it could drastically bring down the price of hypersonic missiles.
Steel nose cones in hypersonic missiles
According to the report published by SCMP, the design presented by the researchers in the paper shows the hypersonic missile can be made using a commonly available and high-strength stainless steel.
The scientists claim that the hypersonic missile designed by them with steel nose cone can achieve speeds of Mach 8 (roughly 6,090 miles per hour or 9,800 km/h) with ease.
One of the big issues in using steel in hypersonic missiles is that it has a melting point of 2,190 degree Fahrenheit (1,200 degree Celsius). This is lower than the temperature of 3,000 degree Fahrenheit which a hypersonic missile can reach during flight due to its high speed and atmospheric conditions.
Therefore, although quite desirable, countries around the globe have not been able to replace tungsten with steel in hypersonic weapons.
Tungsten alloys are typically used by other countries for their hypersonic weapons as they have a melting point above 3,400 degree Fahrenheit. However, it is a rare metal and most of its production is controlled by Chinese companies.
To replace tungsten with steel advanced thermal protection is needed, something which the Chinese scientists claim to have achieved.
As per the SCMP report, the missile will rise above the atmosphere after launch and then drop to an altitude of 18 to 12 miles before hitting the target.
Managing temperature and developing low-cost weapons
The temperature inside the warhead could reach 3000 degree Fahrenheit after 18 seconds, as per their estimation, which would be enough to ignite the explosive agent in the missile.
The steel nose cone will have an added layer of thermal protection which would help it retain its shape and form before the impact.
The scientists propose using an ultra-high temperature ceramic as a top layer of the barrier, underneath it an aerogel layer will act as a heat insulator to maintain the temperature of the explosive.
Hypersonic weapons are the new rage and several countries are racing to develop low-cost versions of the same. Replacing tungsten with steel would help in making low-cost missiles which can be mass produced and used with ease.
China already has a number of hypersonic missiles in its arsenal, alongside Russia which has also used them in the ongoing war against Ukraine.
The United States is also looking to get a hypersonic missile in its kitty, but the projects run by it have failed to come up with desired results.
China is reportedly much ahead of other countries in the race to develop hypersonic weapons and it intends to mass produce them so that they can be used in war situations. Beijing is also focusing on developing them at a low-cost, something which other countries have failed to accomplish, as per the available information.
Last month, scientists from National University of Defense Technology’s College of Aerospace Science and Engineering in Changsha, China, claimed to have developed a new cooling device for hypersonic weapons which could improve the flight time by nearly two and a half hours, according to the claims.
https://interestingengineering.com/military/china-hypersonic-missile-steel
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