How hypersonic missiles work?

Boeing X-51 Waverider  is typical HCM
(Hypersonic Cruise Missile) candidate
(Picture 1)

Kimmo Huosionmaa

Hypersonic missiles are the fastest man-made cruise missiles in the world. The function of those weapons is normally, that ballistic missile would take those weapons to the ballistic trajectory, what allows enough speed, that the hypersonic ramjets would be launched, and those motors would give this missile the speed of Mach 12. But there are many problems with those missiles and USAF X-51 "Waverider" failed, and it couldn't start it hydrogen scramjet-motors in 2012.


The hypersonic cruise missiles are new kind of weapon, what is extremely dangerous even without the nuclear warhead. The kinetic energy of those missiles is extremely high, and if that thing hits any target, would the result be devastating. Also, the defense against those weapons is extremely difficult because the angle of incoming missiles is so variable. The nuclear warhead is of course very devastating things, but the hypersonic missiles are devastating without explosives.


Many states have the similar projects, and the most devastating version of those missiles is the nuclear-powered missile, where the burning process of fuel has been replaced with the nuclear reactor. This missile has extremely high speed and because of its big size, this weapon can cause more destruction than any existed weapon ever before. The hypersonic speed allows using the pressure blast of those weapons as a weapon.


The hypersonic flight allows to use the pressure spire as the weapon, what might make the track anywhere this weapon flies. That would give this devastating cruise missile extreme devastating capacity. The big size nuclear-powered missile can use hydrogen or water as the fuel. In this solution, the fuel would be injected into the reactor, what would give very powerful specific impulse. This kind of nuclear ramjet is not very sharp about the propellant, and the idea of this motor is, that the propellant and high speed would also cool the reactor, while this missile will travel across the airspace.


But the problem of those weapons is radioactive fallout. The radiation of the reactor would change the material, what travels thru the reactor also radioactive. That's the very bad problem with nuclear-powered aircraft. In the Cold War were many projects, where were investigated the use of nuclear power in many roles like in automobiles and aircraft. The best way to use nuclear reactors in aircraft is to use closed-cycle reactors, where the reactor would use to rotate the turbines. And the propellant would be heated by using electric arc. This would not deliver radioactive fallout into the atmosphere. But this is the only rumor and those test planes are highly classified.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear-powered_aircraft

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupolev_Tu-95LAL

https://geopoliticalfutures.com/hypersonic-weapons-fit-future-war/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Timberwind

http://knkx.org/post/hypersonic-waverider-failed

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

Picture 1:

https://img.newatlas.com/waverider-fourth-test.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&ch=Width%2CDPR&crop=entropy&fit=crop&h=347&q=60&w=616&s=2352e7434d7b1926023639a604c8a78c

X-33 "Venture Star"

X-33 "Venture Star"
(Picture 1)

Kimmo Huosionmaa

X-33 ”Venture Star” was one example of the attempt to build the TAV (Trans-Atmospheric Vehicle) for making the spaceflight cheaper than before. The idea of this plane is to make an aircraft, what can rise above the atmosphere, and launch the satellite to the orbital trajectory. In a fascinating vision this kind of aircraft will pull the satellites behind them in the wire, and when the aircraft makes the ballistic jump outside the atmosphere it will release the satellite, just when it is in the highest point of the ballistic jump.


The trick basics the centrifugal force what will allow the satellite continue it’s flight straight ahead, when the aircraft will turn back to the Earth, and then the trajectory makes that wire like catapult, what will throw the satellite to the LEO (Low Earth Orbiter) The ”Venture Star” doesn’t neccessary need rocket engines, because it might use RAMJET- or SCRAMJET-motors in the athmophere to accerate it’s speed to Mach 6 to 12, and then the vehicle will make the ”space jump”  just outside the athmosphere.

X-33 can be used with Boeing 747 or
another cargo planes like C-5, C-17
and C-130
(picture 2)

The TAV will accelerate its speed in the atmosphere and make the short jump what takes only a couple of minutes to space. The aircraft uses probably hydrogen fuel, and in its nose is the controlling rockets, what will make sure that this aircraft will come to the atmosphere at the right angle. The angle is necessary, because that return to the atmosphere will raise the temperature of the body of the craft very high level, and if the angle of the spacecraft is not right, that thing might cause the melting of the body.


 The ”Venture Star” might use with X-37B with highly secret missions to space. In this scenario the X-37B will launch to the orbiter with ”Venture Star”, and there it will meet the ”Agena” rocket stage, what can be connected to it, for missions what needs very high capacity for maneuvers. But ”X-33” might work also for the strategic bomber. The missions of that vehicle might be as secret as the X-37B, and it might be made to use STEALTH-technology. This kind of weapon systems can fundamental the strategic thinking of the warfare in the 21st. Century. 

Picture 1 https://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/multimedia/imagegallery/X-33/ED97-43938-3.html

Picture 2 https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/images/353337main_ED97-43938-5_full.jpg

YouTube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oYI1CNaGrc

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_Martin_X-33