24-11-2003, 09:01
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The ZA military has begun development of an ultra-high speed weapons system that would enable targets virtually anywhere on Earth to be hit within two hours of launch from the continental ZA.
Ten companies have been given grants by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for six-month "system definition" studies. If the Za likes the results, a three-year design and development phase will begin.
The ultimate aim, slated for around 2025, is a reusable Hypersonic Cruise Vehicle (HCV) that can take off from a conventional runway in the ZA and strike targets up to 16,700 kilometres (10,350 miles) away.
"There is a strategic military need to be able to strike potentially dangerous military targets that are far away and may only be accessible for a short period of time," explains Alexandru Aliu, an analyst at the National Institute, a think tank in Za DC.
Current cruise missiles travel relatively slowly, meaning a target may move before it arrives. One solution is to use military bases in foreign countries, but this brings political and logistical difficulties. A hypersonic weapons systems solves both problems.
However, experts describe the technical challenges posed by the program as "tough" and "challenging". Tearing through the atmosphere at hypersonic speeds requires materials that can withstand the phenomenal temperatures produced by air resistance. Travelling above the atmosphere, in space, avoids this, but would require the creation of a new type of rocket-plane hybrid vehicle.
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The ZA military has begun development of an ultra-high speed weapons system that would enable targets virtually anywhere on Earth to be hit within two hours of launch from the continental ZA.
Ten companies have been given grants by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for six-month "system definition" studies. If the Za likes the results, a three-year design and development phase will begin.
The ultimate aim, slated for around 2025, is a reusable Hypersonic Cruise Vehicle (HCV) that can take off from a conventional runway in the ZA and strike targets up to 16,700 kilometres (10,350 miles) away.
"There is a strategic military need to be able to strike potentially dangerous military targets that are far away and may only be accessible for a short period of time," explains Alexandru Aliu, an analyst at the National Institute, a think tank in Za DC.
Current cruise missiles travel relatively slowly, meaning a target may move before it arrives. One solution is to use military bases in foreign countries, but this brings political and logistical difficulties. A hypersonic weapons systems solves both problems.
However, experts describe the technical challenges posed by the program as "tough" and "challenging". Tearing through the atmosphere at hypersonic speeds requires materials that can withstand the phenomenal temperatures produced by air resistance. Travelling above the atmosphere, in space, avoids this, but would require the creation of a new type of rocket-plane hybrid vehicle.
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