Hypersonic Weapons Can't Hide from New Eyes in Space

Tue, 18 Jan 2022 03:45:00 GMT
Scientific American - Technology

Tracking the missiles is like picking out one light bulb against a background of light bulbs, but...

China's test flight of a long-range hypersonic glide vehicle late last year was described in the media as close to a "Sputnik moment" in the race to develop new ultrafast maneuvering weapons.

Late last December the U.S. Department of Defense's Missile Defense Agency gave the green light to a pair of contractors-L3Harris Technologies and Northrop Grumman-to pivot from design to prototype fabrication of a Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor system.

This technology is intended to solve one of the Pentagon's most vexing technical challenges: how to detect and track the hypersonic glide vehicles that exploit blind spots in today's radar networks.

In contrast to ballistic missile payload trajectories, hypersonic glide vehicles can maneuver on the way to a target.

This near-space trajectory and the ability to shift course let hypersonic glide vehicles evade the combination of space and terrestrial sensors used to track ballistic missiles.

The Pentagon can detect the launch-but the hypersonic glide vehicle then slips out of view until late in the weapon's flight because of ground radar's line-of-sight limitations.

The signal chain demonstration verified the sensitivity necessary to support the so-called hypersonic kill chain-the discrete actions required in sequence between identifying and striking a target.

Along with sensors, the Pentagon is thinking anew about the guided missiles needed to defeat hypersonic glide vehicles.

In late May 2021 the MDA revealed it had certified the currently deployed Standard Missile-6 as a last line of defense for aircraft carrier strike groups to use against hypersonic glide vehicles.

In November 2021 MDA tapped three companies to advance designs for a new weapon, called a Glide Phase Interceptor, intended to counter hypersonic threats.

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