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ICBMs can go fast, but they follow a predictable ballistic trajectory. They can also be intercepted by anti-missile missiles. You will need another scramjet to
by iwwr 15y ago
ICBMs can go fast, but they follow a predictable ballistic trajectory. They can also be intercepted by anti-missile missiles. You will need another scramjet to catch a scramjet while in the atmosphere.
- sehugg 15y agoNot necessarily .. reentry vehicles have been able to maneuver as far back as Gemini by rotating (they have a slight amount of lift) -- this works best in the upper atmosphere where small velocity changes can make large changes to your landing zone. Both the US and Russia designed maneuverable warheads to evade each other's ABM systems.
- Sharlin 15y agoYour point stands, I'd like to clarify that the HTV-2 vehicle[1] is an unpowered glider, boosted to cruise velocity by a rocket stage, not a scramjet. Unfortunately, most of the popular news reporting has used the term "airplane" which usually refers to an aircraft capable of powered flight. Although the eventual goal of the FALCON project is to develop a scramjet-powered strike aircraft, the current record holder is still NASA's X-43[2] with a maximum attained speed of Mach 9.68. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DARPA_Falcon_Project http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DARPA_Falcon_Project [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-43A http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-43A