The US Missile Defense Agency or MDA has selected Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon
to research and develop a new missile system.
The companies were awarded separate contracts with a total value of around $60m to develop
and test the first interceptor that can take out incoming hypersonic weapons in flight.
Known as Glide Phase Interceptor (GPI), the hypersonic weapon system will be capable of
defeating a new generation of hypersonic weapons.
In this video Defense Updates analyzes how the US military is planning to counter the
Hypersonic threats?
Let's get started
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An object is said to be hypersonic once they exceed the speeds of Mach 5 that is 5 times
the speed of sound.
This is about 1,715 meters per second or 3,836mph or 6,174 km/h.
There are currently 3 methods being applied to make hypersonic weapons.
The first is by using a Scramjet engine.
The scramjet is an innovation on the Ramjet.
Ramjet engines can power flight to supersonic speeds but scramjet can enable the missiles
to reach hypersonic speeds.
These engines have no moving parts, like the compressors and turbines used in the turbofan
engines found on conventional jet planes.
They rely on the huge pressures created by fast airflow into the engine to ignite the
fuel and generate thrust.
The second is using Hypersonic Glide Vehicle (HGV).
In this method, the system is launched to extremely high altitudes using a rocket booster
where it skips across the Earth’s upper atmosphere.
The vehicle then separates from the carrier and glides back to the earth towards its intended
target attaining hypersonic speed.
The third is through the use of ALBM or Air-Launched Ballistic missile.
As the name suggests, this kind of missile is ballistic in nature but is launched from
air, unlike traditional ballistic missiles which are launched from land or sea-based
platforms.
Hypersonic weapons combine the high speed of a traditional ballistic missile with the
maneuverability of a cruise missile making them almost unstoppable.
Hypersonic weapons are currently being pursued mainly by America, Russia, China, France and
India.
Russian is at the forefront of hypersonic weapons when it comes to operational deployment.
It has reached an advanced level with two hypersonic weapons - Khinzal & Avangard.
The Kinzhal or Dagger is an ALBM or air Launched Ballistic Missile.
According to the Russian president, units in the country’s Southern Military District,
which borders Ukraine and the Black Sea, have deployed the missiles operationally.
Avangard is a nuclear-tipped hypersonic boost-glide vehicle.
Earlier this year, Russian defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, stated that the first missile
unit equipped with the Avangard had entered combat duty.
China has developed DF-17 missile along with DF-ZF Hypersonic Glide Vehicle.
DF-17 or Dongfeng-17 is a Chinese solid-fuelled road-mobile medium-range ballistic missile
that mounts the DF-ZF Hypersonic Glide Vehicle.
The DF-17 & DF-ZF, was officially unveiled at the National Day military parade on 1 October
2019.
It came to light recently that in July this year China tested a nuclear-capable hypersonic
glide vehicle that went around the globe before it sped towards a target, a demonstration
that has caught the US intelligence off-guard.
GPI will intercept hypersonic weapons in the glide phase of flight, which occurs once a
missile has re-entered Earth’s atmosphere and is maneuvering toward its target.
The initial development phase will focus on reducing technical risk, rapidly developing
technology, and demonstrating the ability to intercept a hypersonic threat.
GPI will be fired from the MK41 standard Vertical Launch System and integrated with the modified
Baseline 9 Aegis Weapon System that detects, tracks, controls and engages hypersonic threats.
So, Arleigh Burke class of guided missile destroyers (DDGs) which are built around the
Aegis Combat System and equipped with Mk 41 VLS would be able to launch the GPI.
Aegis Ashore add: which is the ground-based variant add: will also be able to fire GPI
Vice Adm. Jon Hill, MDA director, the agency decided it would make the most sense to focus
on taking out hypersonic weapons in the glide phase of flight, where they are most vulnerable.
He stated that the agency will first focus on providing a capability to the Navy.
“If this is successful, we can move it to the land-based battery to protect other things
against that sort of hypersonic threat.”
Rear Adm. Tom Druggan, MDA’s Sea-based Weapon Systems program executive, said in the statement,
“We are pleased to have these contractors working with us to develop design concepts
for the GPI,”
He added, “Multiple awards allow us to execute a risk
reduction phase to explore industry concepts and maximize the benefits of a competitive
environment to demonstrate the most effective and reliable Glide Phase Interceptor for regional
hypersonic defense, as soon as possible.”
It is to be noted all three companies have experience in hypersonic weapons development.
Both Lockheed Martin and Raytheon are also competitively working on scramjet-powered
hypersonic missiles as part of the Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC) program
run by the US Air Force and DARPA.
Northrop Grumman designed the motor for both weapons.
Lockheed is also developing the Air Force’s hypersonic AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response
Weapon.
So, expertise is present and with the help of MDA's guidance, things should work out.