The US Navy, in conjunction with US defense industry contractors, conducted the first firing tests of a rocket engine that will be used in Conventional Prompt Strike hypersonic missiles (CPS)

) for the US Navy and Long Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW, long-range hypersonic weapon

) for the Ground Forces.

“The first stage solid rocket engine will be part of a new rocket booster for the military and will be used in conjunction with the C-HGB hypersonic glider to create a typical hypersonic missile.

Each type of the Armed Forces will use standard hypersonic missiles, while simultaneously creating their own weapon systems and launchers, adapted for launching from sea or land, ”the US Navy said in a statement.

Defense News clarifies that the first successful tests of a gliding block for hypersonic missiles took place in March 2020.

It is noted that the development of the block went under the auspices of the US Navy, while the Ground Forces will coordinate production.

"The successful testing of the solid-fuel taxiway symbolizes an important milestone that brings us closer to the next joint flight tests of the fleet and the army, scheduled for the first quarter of fiscal year 2022, and which will ultimately lead to the deployment of the CPS and LRHW complexes," the Navy said.

Oversupply of directions

In March of this year, the US Audit Office published a report in which it warned that the Pentagon may not meet the schedule for testing various components for hypersonic weapons due to a lack of the necessary test sites and laboratories.

The document also noted that the US defense department has planned at least 40 different flight tests of hypersonic weapons over the next five years.

However, a number of logistical problems can hinder the implementation of this plan, believe in the Accounts Chamber.

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In particular, the only missile range in the Pacific Ocean, from which long-range launches can be carried out, is not designed for the volume of tests envisaged by the Pentagon, the report says.

In addition, there is a shortage of wind tunnels required for launches.

“If programs are not given enough time in suitable wind tunnels, they will likely have to either wait or look for other, less ideal ways to complete their tests.

Among the options available are more tests, approval of more conservative designs, or wider use of computer models, ”write analysts of the Accounts Chamber.

According to the ministry, all wind tunnels suitable for testing hypersonic weapons are booked at least a year in advance.

At the same time, if the planned tests within the framework of projects for the development of hypersonic weapons are not carried out, then it will be necessary either to continue to implement the program with fewer launches (and less progress), or to suspend it altogether, taking into account the consequences in terms of the timing and cost of implementation, the government emphasizes. analysts.

The Accounts Chamber in its report also indicated that there are now 70 different programs for the development of hypersonic weapons and technologies in the United States, spending on which is estimated at $ 15 billion from 2015 to 2024.

Most of them are held under the auspices of the Pentagon, but there are also programs in which NASA and the Department of Energy participate.

Such a volume of disparate programs without clearly defined roles and areas of responsibility negatively affects progress in the development of hypersonic weapons, the Accounts Chamber notes.

“The Department of Defense has not documented the roles, responsibilities and areas of responsibility of many accountable organizations, including the branches of the armed forces, which are developing hypersonic weapons.

Without clearly defined leadership roles, responsibilities and areas of responsibility, the Ministry of Defense risks slowing down progress in the development of hypersonic weapons and creating the potential for (intradepartmental -

RT

) conflicts and ineffective waste of resources when making further decisions on major investments in this area in the future, " report.

In addition, a number of technologies that are necessary to create such weapons are not sufficiently developed in the United States, according to the department's analysts.

Programs in which development begins even before the full development of critical technologies "are more likely to face such problems as increased costs or postponements, or do not achieve their goals at all," the document states.

As an example of one such technology, the report cited protection against the extreme thermal effects exerted on hypersonic missiles during flight.

Technological gap

The Accounts Chamber is not the only agency that has drawn attention to the problems in the development of hypersonic weapons in the United States.

Thus, the US Congress Research Service (CRS) in April prepared its own report for parliamentarians, in which it noted that, despite investments in these programs, they are currently engaged in the creation of technologies and prototypes without specific plans for the procurement of finished weapons for subsequent staging. on alert.

In addition, the researchers note that most American projects to create hypersonic weapons do not provide for the use of nuclear warheads in them, which also complicates the task for designers, who, in return, must improve their accuracy during development.

Experts, for their part, argue that as of today, the United States is significantly behind Russia in the introduction of guided hypersonic military products.

According to Viktor Murakhovsky, editor-in-chief of Arsenal of the Fatherland magazine, key samples of such weapons are unlikely to appear in the US military before 2025.

“The fact is that at the stage of development work and testing, results are often obtained, which are then not confirmed when they are put into mass production.

This is true not only for the American army, but also for all advanced technologies in the military and civilian spheres.

Undoubtedly, the United States would like to have in its arsenal a missile system similar to the Russian Avangard, which is already on alert in the RF Armed Forces, "Murakhovsky said in an interview with RT.

Military expert Yuri Knutov, in an interview with RT, recalled that the original Pentagon plan provided that the first airborne hypersonic missile was to enter service, after which sea and land-based systems were to appear.

“However, today there is practically no airborne hypersonic missile, and the rest of the systems are two to three years late.

The deadlines announced by the Pentagon are more aimed at internal propaganda and obtaining additional funding for these programs, "said the interlocutor of RT.

  • Pentagon building

  • © David B. Gleason / Wikimedia

In the near future, the American side will not have a working hypersonic weapon, Yuri Knutov believes: it will take at least five years to accumulate the necessary technologies.

"At the same time, it is unlikely that American engineers will be able to create a missile system comparable to the Russian Avangard," Knutov believes.

According to him, one of the main technological obstacles for the United States in this direction was the gaps in materials science, which also drew attention to the analysts of the Accounts Chamber.

“Russia has a very powerful school for the production of heat-resistant materials.

This groundwork allows her to move on.

Today, the United States is only trying to create such missiles, while Russia has already announced several new medium- and shorter-range hypersonic missiles with different purposes.

In general, in this direction, Moscow will overtake Washington by three to five years, ”Knutov predicts.