Live data from Hacker News

DARPA's hypersonic scramjet achieves successful flight

darpa.mil

211–212 of 212 posts

Re: DARPA's hypersonic scramjet achieves successful flight

#211

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The biggest difference between hypersonics and swarms of slow missiles is that the hypersonics can get there fast enough that you might not need high-quality targeting information. That's definitely a strategic advantage! Also the 3M22 is estimated to only cost around 2 million dollars.

> hypersonics can get there fast enough that you might not need high-quality targeting information The strategic systems hypersonics are hyped to hit have been hardened against ballistics. Hypersonics are slower than ballistics. (Their plasma envelope also makes them easier to track by satellite.) This is a tactical evolution. Meaningful. Helpful. But not a strategic shift.

The big issue is that a ballistic missile may not be able to deviate as much from the expected position as it can search away from it.

I agree that they're not that different from ballistics but they still have considerable advantages.

Re: DARPA's hypersonic scramjet achieves successful flight

#212
post #73

How a such hypersonic missile locks a target? Does it use a radar or some optic system? I guess that plasma around the body might disrupt conventional guiding systems.

Seeker window design is a whole branch of missile engineering.

Most missles use a quartz window that is sprayed with an evaporative coolant. In more advanced designs the coolant flows through microchannels and then out micro holes on the leading edge, where the coolant evaporates and provides a film cooling.

https://www.spiedigitallibrary.org/conference-proceedings-of...

Post reply on HN