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Hypersonic Air-Breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC) made its second successful test flight.



Image 1) "An artist's depiction of Raytheon and Northrop Grumman's Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept. (Image credit: Northrop Grumman)" (Space.com/Hypersonic air-breathing weapon concept passes 2nd flight test)


The Hypersonic Air-Breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC) is the scramjet-driven missile concept. The idea of that system is to develop a full-scale hypersonic cruise missile that uses a scramjet engine. The secondary objective of this project is to collect information about hypersonic aircraft that will revolutionize aviation in all sectors. The HAWC system is based on the X-51 "WaveRider" concept. 

And it's more advanced and capable than AGM-183 ARRW (Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon) could be. Those futuristic Scramjet-driven drones can be the next-generation tools for sending miniature satellites to space. They can rise a "Pegasus" rocket or miniature shuttle to a ballistic jump before the orbital vehicle will start its engines. 

The scramjet-driven cruise missile can also install on the nose of the ballistic missile. At the first, the missile rises to the ballistic trajectory out of the atmosphere. Then that cruise missile dives back into the atmosphere. And scramjet engines start. The cruise system can travel to a target at a lower altitude than a regular ballistic missile. That makes defense against those missiles more difficult. 





Image 2) X-51 WaveRider under the B-52 


The defense against hypersonic weapons is theoretically very easy. There is introduced the model. Where a drone swarm can rise to the route of the hypersonic missile. When that missile hits to drone swarm speed that is higher than Mach 5+. That causes at least damage to the hypersonic system. 

And that impact can destroy incoming hypersonic weapons. The kinetic-energy THAAD missiles are also effective if they just impact with a hypersonic missile. 

The THAAD missile must hit precisely the incoming hypersonic missile. And that means the guidance of the surface-to-air missile must be very accurate. There is a possibility that hypersonic missiles are equipped with counter-missile systems like microwave generators that destroy the electronics of the incoming missile. 

There is of course need for the counter-systems against the hypersonic cruise missiles that travel lower than satellites. The hypersonic weapon is "quite easy to destroy" by using surface-to-air missiles. But the counter missile must find the trajectory of the incoming hypersonic weapon.  Then that missile can impact with a hypersonic cruise missile. The problem is how to get information on the trajectory of the incoming hypersonic missiles? 

The answer could be the satellite network of high-orbiting satellites. Those satellites can use radar, infrared, visible light, and laser scanners to detect objects that are traveling in the atmosphere and which behavior causes suspicion of the attacker.  

The network of those satellites can also collect all kinds of tactical and strategic information. The thing is that the HAWC concept would be the biggest advance in aviation. The data that is collected from that program can use to develop new reusable systems. 



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AGM-183_ARRW


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypersonic_Air-breathing_Weapon_Concept


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_X-51_Waverider


1) https://www.space.com/hypersonic-air-breathing-weapon-second-flight-test




 

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