The US Navy announced that it has successfully conducted a
test of the First Stage -Solid Rocket Motor (SRM).
SRM will be part of a new missile booster
and integrated with a Common Hypersonic Glide Body (C-HGB) to create hypersonic weapon.
The testing has been conducted by the U.S Navy’s Strategic Systems Programs.
SRM is a key component of the U.S Navy's Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) offensive
hypersonic missile development and the U.S Army’s Long Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW).
The U.S Navy release stated, “This successful SRM test represents a critical
milestone leading up to the next Navy and Army joint flight test, which will take place in the
first quarter of Fiscal Year 2022, and ultimately the fielding of the CPS and LRHW weapon systems,”
In this video Defense Updates analyzes why the successful test
of the First Stage- Solid Rocket Motor is a major boost to American hypersonic
weapons effort? Let’s get started.
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Viewers may note that Common Hypersonic Glide Body
(C-HGB) was tested in March last year and flew at hypersonic speed to a designated impact point.
An object is said to be hypersonic
once they exceed the speeds of Mach 5 or 5 times the speed of sound.
This is about 1,715 meters per second or 3,836 mph or 6,174 kph.
C-HGB includes a conventional warhead, guidance system, cabling, and thermal protection shield.
C-HGB will use the booster rocket motor to reach hypersonic speed,
jettison the expended rocket booster, and then glide to its target.
The U.S Navy is the leading the design while the U.S Army leading the production.
Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) is a United States military effort to develop a system
that can deliver a precision conventional strike in a similar manner to a nuclear ICBM.
Such a weapon would allow the United States to respond far more swiftly to
rapidly emerging threats than is possible with conventional forces
CPS is intended to complement existing American rapid-response forces,
such as Forward Deployed Forces, Air Expeditionary Groups (which can
deploy within 48 hours) and carrier battle groups (which can respond within 96 hours)
It will be an alternative to nuclear weapons for strategic
retaliatory strikes for around of 30% of targets.
CPS was originally designed to deploy aboard U.S. Navy submarines but they
are now inline to be deployed to the Zumwalt warships as well as several other platforms.
LRHW consists of a canister-based ballistic missile.
The missile has a diameter of 34.5 inches.
To give viewers a perspective, a Tomahawk cruise missile has a diameter of about 20 inches.
LRHW will have Common Hypersonic Glide Body (C-HGB) placed on top of it.
TEL or Transporter Erector Launcher will give the system mobility
The TELs are the modified M983A4 Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Trucks
(HEMTT). M983A4 is currently being used in the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system.
An M870 trailer will be used to move the TEL.
AFTDS or Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System Version 7.0
will be present for Battle Management duties.
Each Transporter Erector Launcher (TELs), each with two missile canisters.
Countries like Russia, China, Israel, India,
and the U.S have been developing sophisticated layered air defense. In the coming days,
these systems will be hard to penetrate missiles using traditional ballistic or cruise missiles.
Ballistic missile follows a predefined parabolic path which makes them vulnerable
while cruise missile tends to be slow allowing scope for possible interception.
This is where hypersonic weapons come in. Their extreme speed and ability to fly
in unpredictable paths give them a high probability of penetrating the air defenses.
Weapons of this type follow can make rapid course changes.
They will be very hard to track and current air defense systems have
almost no chance of intercepting them. The characteristic of Hypersonic weapons
makes them suitable for neutralizing well-defended strategic military assets.
Hypersonic weapons are currently being persuaded mainly by America, Russia, and China.
Russian is at the forefront of hypersonic weapons.
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.
The U.S Department of Defense is working in collaboration with national laboratories,
as well as private and academic institutions to deploy hypersonic missile capability
in the early-to mid-2020s.
For a while, the American military establishment remained undecided when it comes to developing
and deploying hypersonic weapons. This lead to U.S military lagging in this technology.
The U.S is now playing catchup. But things are moving fast now.
As per reports, the U.S military is pursuing 9 programs
that are dedicated to fielding hypersonic weapons.
Not only this, but the U.S military is also looking ahead
and studying the feasibility of developing an air defense system that can engage hypersonic weapons.
Successfully test of the First Stage -Solid Rocket Motor (SRM) is a shot in the arm.