Future Hypersonic Missiles and Spacecrafts Will Fly At Speed Close To Speed of Light

by Heady Delpak (Editor)

Overview

Hypersonic weapons fly at least Mach 5 - five times the speed of sound, or approximately 3,800 mph. Unlike ballistic missiles, which can reach similar speeds but have a relatively fixed flight path, hypersonic weapons, once developed, would fly at lower altitudes, be highly maneuverable, and may be able to change targets during flight. This will make them extremely difficult to defend against.

Fig . 1-1: Hypersonic Missile
1-1: How Does Hypersonic Missile Work?

Most hypersonic weapons fall into two categories, hypersonic glide vehicles (HGVs) and hypersonic cruise missiles (HCMs).

1-2: An HGV can take a variety of trajectories and leave its final destination ambiguous

HGVs are unpowered and glide to their targets from a high altitude after initial launch by a rocket. They are expected to fly at altitudes between 25 and 60 miles.
HCMs are powered by high-speed engines during their entire flight. They are expected to fly at altitudes between 12 and 19 miles.
For most HCMs, a rocket would accelerate the missile to Mach 3 or 4, and then the HCM's own ramjet or supersonic combustion ramjet (scramjet) engine would take over.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798341897298
Publisher:	Barnes & Noble Press
Publication date:	02/14/2025
Pages:	370
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.77(d)

About the Author

Dr. Heady Delpak has a PhD in Aerospace Engineering from University of London in the UK. He has more than 30 years teaching experiences at Universities. He has published many Books in different languages.