La carrera entre las grandes potencias por disponer de armas hipers\u00f3nicas, ha dado lugar a nuevos y revolucionarios desarrollos en el \u00e1rea de propulsi\u00f3n, que\u00a0 permitir\u00edan a estas armas alcanzar velocidades de hasta MACH 20. Es el caso de concepto denominado\u00a0 \u201cEnerg\u00fd Deposition Drag Reduction\u201d, que propone el empleo de L\u00e1seres de potencia que son disparados por el mismo vector delante de su trayectoria, con la finalidad de reducir dr\u00e1sticamente los efectos de resistencia al avance (Drag) causados por el aire.<\/p>\n
China\u2019s deadly \u201ccarrier killer\u201d hypersonic ballistic missile \u2014 the\u00a0Dong-Feng 21\u00a0\u2014 can reportedly reach speeds of up to Mach 5 and beyond.<\/p>\n
Experts say, it doesn\u2019t even need a warhead. At those speeds, if it hit a carrier, it would pass right through, and potentially put it out of action.<\/p>\n
Now imagine a hypersonic missile, armed with a new technology \u2014 a technology that would shoot a laser in its path, elevating the weapon to even greater speeds, such as Mach 20.<\/p>\n
All the while, executing abrupt changes in trajectory to avoid detection and robust air defence systems, as it sped toward its target.<\/p>\n
Sound like science fiction? It\u2019s not \u2026 the technology is on the drawing board.<\/p>\n
Interest in hypersonic weapons and vehicles have literally exploded (pardon the pun) across the aerospace defense-industrial complex, with massive contracting opportunities popping up across the board, Brett Tingley<\/a> of The War Zone <\/a>reports.<\/p>\n In fact, the Pentagon\u2019s appetite for hypersonic weapons has grown so immense and pressing that it has issued contracting opportunities for what appears to be\u00a0literally any hypersonic technology<\/a>.<\/p>\n As it turns out, two cutting edge areas of defense research are beginning to converge in laboratories with the goal of enabling unprecedented levels of speed for aerial weapons, the report said.<\/p>\n By combining advanced directed energy technology with the latest in hypersonic vehicle design, researchers in private and Department of Defense (DoD) funded laboratories have laid the groundwork for systems designed to literally sheathe an entire vehicle in laser and\/or microwave-induced plasma in order to drastically reduce drag.<\/p>\n If successfully developed, this concept may someday lead to new frontiers in speed and radical new forms of aerodynamic control and aircraft design, the report said.<\/p>\n No surprise then, that hypersonic systems are becoming integral to the United States\u2019 military\u2019s future strategy in key theaters such as the Indo-Pacific region, where China currently holds the advantage in cruise missiles.<\/p>\n Russia too, is excelling in this area, much to the concern of the Pentagon. Meanwhile, R&D has already led to several systems approaching operational status.<\/p>\n The USAF and Lockheed Martin are working on the AGM-183A\u00a0Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon<\/a>\u00a0(ARRW), a boost-glide hypersonic system.<\/p>\n The wedge-shaped ARRW has been tested in\u00a0captive flights on a B-52 Stratofortress<\/a>\u00a0and is expected to be operational by 2022.<\/p>\n