3 ms·
US Air Force launches first operational hypersonic missile
- pictureofabear 4y agoAh, yes. The "Super-Duper Missile," at least that's Trump named it. https://twitter.com/brian_cahn/status/1261354845451288579?s=20&t=UCDga8qP8yG9wlgrAZVy9Q https://twitter.com/brian_cahn/status/1261354845451288579?s=...
- mc32 4y agoHow have they (China, Russia, US) solved the thermal issues of travelling multiple times the speed of sound through air and keep their electronics working in "mass manufactured" vehicles (ie. keeping a bespoke shuttle from burning up is one thing --it's has lots of hangar repair time)
- waste_monk 4y agoI would imagine they have an easier time of it since they don't have to worry about reusing the missile :) [1] More seriously, have a look at this video demonstrating insulating tiles as used on the space shuttle (which is IIRC some kind of aerogel): https://youtu.be/Pp9Yax8UNoM https://youtu.be/Pp9Yax8UNoM . Modern materials science is astounding, and while probably not aerogel (as I understand it is quite fragile), I'm sure whatever system the missile uses is more than sufficient for it's expected operational life post-launch. [1] similar to this classic story about memory leaks https://devblogs.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20180228-00/?p=98125 https://devblogs.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20180228-00/?p=98...
- rkagerer 4y agoIf I understand correctly the article says it only targets fixed objects. Is the maneuverability required to hit moving or evading targets presently impractical at those speeds?