The waverider hypersonic ballistic missile has been tested hundreds of times in the YF-21 shock wave wind tunnel.
Finally, the design of the aerodynamic layout has been basically completed and has entered the physical testing stage.
"A recent wind tunnel experiment showed that even in atmospheric conditions."
Qiao Yang was flipping through the piles of various data charts on his desk while giving Zhang Xingyang the latest situation report.
"Our waverider ballistic missile relies on speed and aerodynamic efficiency to create asymmetric pressure."
"It can make the warhead jump on a vertical surface at a speed of about Mach 6."
"What about terminal penetration?"
Zhang Xingyang does not pay special attention to mid-range speed at the moment. After all, at this time point, the mid-range anti-missile technology of various countries has not yet been developed.
An anti-missile weapon system that can achieve a mid-course anti-missile success rate of more than 90% does not yet exist on this planet.
At present, everyone's anti-missile technology skill tree basically focuses on terminal anti-missile.
This is why Zhang Xingyang is more concerned about the missile's terminal penetration capability.
In this era, terminal penetration ability determines whether you can break through the opponent's defense network and achieve offensive purposes.
"The terminal penetration speed can now reach Mach 7.2 at the fastest."
Even without looking at the data report on the table, Qiao Yang could accurately tell the current terminal penetration speed of the waverider ballistic missile.
"But Brother Xingyang, you also know."
"The waverider warhead, unlike other cone-shaped warheads, can increase its speed by spinning when the end of the warhead penetrates the defense."
"So, without improving other aspects, this speed is already the limit."
"This is not a big problem. New solid rocket motors are already under development."
Zhang Xingyang did not criticize Qiao Yang too much. After all, he knew very well what the technical strength of the waverider configuration could achieve.
Without increasing the propulsion speed of the rocket engine, the speed Qiao Yang mentioned was indeed close to the limit when the warhead penetrated the defense at the end.
According to Zhang Xingyang's own calculations, without changing the body shape and improving the engine performance.
Relying solely on the aerodynamic layout to increase the terminal speed of the warhead can only reach a speed of about Mach 7.3 at most.
In other words, Qiao Yang's current aerodynamic shape design has almost approached the theoretical limit of design.
Qiao Yang had heard from Zhang Xingyang before that the solid rocket motor they were using now was just a transitional product.
In subsequent models, engines with better performance can be used for waverider ballistic missiles.
"How long will it take?"
"Can we use it this year?"
Qiao Yang said with some urgency to Zhang Xingyang, who was taking his time.
The data chart in his hand was full of information, and Zhang Xingyang kept doing inductive analysis in his mind.
Comparing the results calculated by Qiao Yang and others through supercomputing, there is no difference between the two.
"The multi-mode state switching of the ramjet combined cycle engine has not yet been developed."
After reading a set of data in his hand, Zhang Xingyang raised his head and looked at Qiao Yang in front of him and said:
"You probably won't be able to use it within this year."
"But within two years, research and development should be completed."
"Wouldn't it be quite effective to replace the solid fuel engines in the past with full nitrogen anion salts?"
"Do you need to be in such a hurry?"
Qiao Yang smiled shyly at this time, showing a hint of youthfulness.
"Isn't it because I can't bear it after hearing good things?"
"Today's solid fuel engines are quite easy to use."
"However, the main improvement is in the energy release time, and what is improved is the missile's range."
Without using total nitrogen anion salt as engine fuel, the range of the waverider ballistic missile is about 2,400 kilometers.
Among them, the stages where the missile engine needs to be started are mainly the initial stage and the end.
In the initial stage, the main role of the missile engine is to transport the ballistic missile out of the atmosphere as quickly as possible.
At the end, the missile engine mainly plays the role of speed increase and maneuverable penetration.
As for the mid-flight process of the missile, the waverider missile mainly relies on its own special configuration and asymmetric atmospheric pressure to "float" in the atmosphere.
With the use of total nitrogen anion salt, the missile's range can be roughly tripled to 7,200 kilometers.
"In fact, from the perspective of fuel efficiency alone, the missile range can be greatly improved."
Zhang Xingyang temporarily stopped looking at the data chart in his hand and explained to Qiao Yang why the total nitrogen anion salt, which has a fuel efficiency of about eight times that of traditional fuel, can only increase the range by about three times.
"However, in order to prevent the enemy's anti-missile system from attacking, we have made a certain degree of compromise."
"The flight time of a waverider ballistic missile outside the atmosphere is less than 20 percent of the entire process."
Ballistic missiles fly outside the atmosphere and consume very little fuel because there is no air resistance.
The farther it flies in this process, the farther the missile's range will be.
Generally speaking, this process can reach seventy percent of the entire missile range!
However, when flying outside the atmosphere, because the missile's flight attitude is stable, the signal characteristics are very obvious because they are not easily affected by the atmospheric environment.
The prediction of flight trajectories is simpler and more accurate, so it is easier to carry out anti-missile work.
In many tests of the Yingjiang anti-missile system, this mid-course interception method has been adopted, and the success rate is relatively high.
The flight time and distance of waverider ballistic missiles outside the atmosphere are very short, giving the opponent no chance to conduct an anti-missile attack at this stage.
When the waverider ballistic missile enters the atmosphere, due to the unique "water-drifting" trajectory, although it has a relatively obvious up and down trajectory, for supercomputers, the calculation difficulty rises sharply.
At this time, it is almost impossible to predict the trajectory as accurately as when it is outside the atmosphere.
"Although it can move quickly within the atmosphere through the difference in atmospheric pressure, the fuel consumption is still several times higher than before."
"It is not easy to achieve the current range."
After Zhang Xingyang finished speaking, he seemed to think of something else and said:
"But for us, this kind of range is enough for now."
With a range of 7,200 kilometers, it can threaten the Hawaiian naval base of Eagle Sauce in the Pacific.
For the country, this is another trump card that can be used in war.
And this is a trump card that the opponent has no way to crack after using it.
Qiao Yang understood the content of Zhang Xingyang's words that he didn't say carefully.
However, he was still a little greedy and said with some emotion:
"It would be great if it could threaten their homeland."
If they want to be able to directly threaten their homeland, they need a range of at least 10,000 kilometers.
Of course, if you go from the easternmost point of the country to Alaska, it doesn’t have to be that far, it only takes less than 5,000 kilometers.
The current waverider configuration ballistic missile can complete such a strike.
Zhang Xingyang read the data charts of the last hundred shock wave wind tunnel experiments at a speed that ordinary people can only browse at.
"Judging from recent experimental data, the effect of wind tunnel experiments is no longer obvious."
Qiao Yang was no longer as shocked as when he first saw Zhang Xingyang's abnormal memory and calculation power.
However, he was still stunned for a second before he came back to his senses and said:
"Indeed it is."
"Just starting the appearance design, it feels like it has reached the end."
Zhang Xingyang stood up from his desk and stretched hard.
After hearing the crackling of the bones all over his body, he said:
“The next phase of work can begin.”
——
Before conducting the first waverider configuration ballistic missile flight experiment, the naming work was first carried out.
The official name of this type of ballistic missile was determined.
Dongfeng-17!
One day, a large number of names will appear on the headlines of major media.
"Xingyang, how do you feel about your first test?"
"Are you confident that you can succeed?"
The old chief patted Zhang Xingyang on the shoulder and asked with a kind smile.
As the person in charge of domestic ballistic missile affairs, the old leader was probably much more nervous than Zhang Xingyang about the Dongfeng-17's first flight test.
This can be seen from the fact that his hand strength almost broke Zhang Xingyang's shoulder.
"I have confidence in it."
Zhang Xingyang rubbed his numb shoulders and said:
"At least in terms of flight stability and range, we are confident."
"Of course, in terms of stealth, we have enough confidence."
Dongfeng-17 will face the enemy's most advanced anti-missile weapon system in the future.
For the anti-missile system, the anti-missile process can be divided into three different stages, namely information detection, predicting the target trajectory, guiding the interceptor missile to fly to the target, and finally intercepting the target.
The investigation stage is the prerequisite for the latter two, and it is also the direction that everyone in the world is working hard to tackle.
Detection is mainly carried out through the infrared and electromagnetic signal characteristics of ballistic missiles.
It is difficult to hide infrared signatures. After all, when flying at high speed in the atmosphere, the temperature above the projectile may be as high as thousands of degrees!
There is simply no way to hide its infrared signature.
Unless there is a way to make it fly at high speed without generating a huge amount of heat.
But that kind of technology, even a hundred years later, will be considered high-end technology.
That requires building a special field outside the projectile.
Therefore, the only thing that can be hidden is the electromagnetic signature of the missile.
In this regard, Dongfeng-17 mainly achieves this by covering the surface of the missile with a layer of composite stealth coating.
to reduce the electromagnetic signature that radar can detect.
In terms of stealth coatings, the Materials Experiment Center under the Rocket Research Institute has just developed a new coating with excellent performance.
Can effectively reduce radar reflection by 80%.
And considering that the conditions faced by ballistic missiles are more extreme, the stealth coating needs to face higher temperatures.
Under high temperature conditions, although material ablation and sublimation will occur, the weakening of the stealth coating is not that strong.
The 11-meter-tall missile stood quietly on the launcher, waiting for the launch time to arrive.
This fifteen-ton giant is preparing for its first actual flight.
Although thousands of flight experiments have been completed in the YF-21 shock wave wind tunnel.
However, there is still a big difference between the simulated conditions blown out by the wind tunnel and the conditions that may be encountered in real flight.
The Dongfeng-17 waverider ballistic missile was actually designed to be launched from a launch vehicle, but the supporting development work of the launch vehicle has not yet been completed.
Therefore, only this launch method, which is close to the form of a missile silo, can be used.
"When will the launch vehicle matching the missile be developed?"
"Old chief, do you know?"
Zhang Xingyang is also quite curious about this matter.
After all, a good launch vehicle can also better utilize the performance of the missile.
"The research and development work on the chassis has been completed, and the current difficulty is mainly the integration of various systems."
The old chief also had a headache when he mentioned this matter.
The missile launch vehicle is different from what many people think. It is not just a missile launcher.
It also includes launch control system, measurement and control system, power supply and distribution system, communication system, and positioning and orientation system.
After the communication system receives the missile launch command, it needs to quickly convert the launch vehicle from the driving state to the launch state, then transmit the target data to the missile computer, then complete the rapid erection of the missile through the control system, and finally complete the missile launch work.
After launching the missile, the missile launch vehicle needs to quickly leave the launch site.
Because the Dongfeng-17 is a new generation ballistic missile, its performance indicators in all aspects are very high.
Similarly, higher requirements have been put forward for the missile launch vehicle, which requires the launch vehicle to have high mobility, rapid lowering and erecting, rapid and precise positioning and orientation, high degree of concealment, high degree of automation, etc.
This has resulted in very slow progress in the development of missile launch vehicles.
After all, these are technologies that automobile production units have not been exposed to before.
"If no accidents occur, it will probably take another two to three years to complete the research and development of a new missile launch vehicle."
The old chief said helplessly.
Seeing that the missile was progressing at such a rapid pace, he also hoped that the launch vehicle could be as fast as the missile.
But judging from the current situation, this can only be regarded as a luxury hope.
"Missile preparations are complete, please give the order!"
Just when Zhang Xingyang was still talking with the old leader about the Dongfeng-17 supporting missile launch vehicle.
An engineer who had just completed the missile inspection trotted over and reported that the preparations for the missile before launch had been completed.
Launch work can begin immediately.
"Are the target observation stations and tracking stations on the road ready?"
After hearing the other party's report, the old chief turned his head and looked at Zhang Xingyang and asked.
"It's already been prepared."
The missile research and development work has been carried out for nearly two years, and the first test is finally coming.
The most powerful weapon that Zhang Xingyang has forged since his rebirth will finally show off its edge to the world! (End of chapter)
