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from the Los-Angeles-to-Boston-in-less-than-an-hour dept.
In May of 2013, the Air Force successfully tested the X-51 WaveRider — an uncrewed, hypersonic "scramjet" capable of reaching Mach 5.1, or more than five times the speed of sound — by flying it at hypersonic speeds over the Pacific Ocean. Now, the Air Force is looking ahead to its next aircraft.
Air Force Chief Scientist Mica Endsley told Military.com this week that the agency is working on the next generation of its hypersonic vehicle. While the X-51 was a test designed to show that a scramjet craft was feasible, the Air Force now wants a vehicle that can "operate at the kind of temperatures you have when you are going at hypersonic speeds," and plans on building a guidance system that can also work at extreme speeds. The goal is to produce the new craft by 2023.
That is, of course, a long while away, and the US military has had some trouble with hypersonic defense technology. The X-51 was only successful after a string of high-profile failures, and last year, a hypersonic missile being tested by Department of Defense exploded during takeoff.
http://www.theverge.com/2015/6/2/8708255/x-51-waverider-mach-5-2023
Original Submission
(Score: 1) by Noble713 on Friday June 05 2015, @08:10AM
You use it to penetrate Integrated Air Defense Systems (IADS). Modern SAMs are good for engaging aircraft and missiles at Mach 2-3. If your long-range super-high-altitude strike bomber is flying at Mach 5 pretty much no one can shoot it down (at least not with an intercept missile). Also, the high speed means short flight times for both the aircraft and any ordnance it launches, so you can prosecute time-sensitive targets practically anywhere in the world regardless of the target country's air defenses.
I'm thinking the solution might be a return to airbursting air-defense artillery rounds, maybe railgun-launched to achieve high altitudes quickly. As you pointed out, these craft are unlikely to be maneuverable. Track their flight path for a few seconds, project the path 30seconds - 1 minute out, fire a bunch of high explosive fragmentation shells at the predicted position. Flying through a cloud of shrapnel at Mach 5 is bound to do some damage....