The existence of a new hypersonic weapon is revealed from the picture uploaded to the image sharing service



A photo posted by Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy on the image-sharing service

Flickr revealed that the United States is in the process of working on a new type of supersonic weapon. A weapon named Vintage Racer is ``a supersonic projectile that evades the enemy's defenses and lands in the general area, acts like a missile launch pad and launches a flying vehicle in search of targets.'' Until now, this technology has been discussed only conceptually.

US Army Flickr Page Inadvertently Reveals New Hypersonic Weapon Concept | Aviation Week Network
https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/sensors-electronic-warfare/us-army-flickr-page-inadvertently-reveals-new-hypersonic



Pentagon Has Tested A Suicide Drone That Gets To Its Target Area At Hypersonic Speed-The Drive
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/33934/pentagon-has-tested-a-suicide-drone-that-gets-to-its-target-area-at-hypersonic-speed

Below you can see the picture of the problem, first reported by Aviation Week Network . The picture was taken at the United States Army Society's Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, on October 14, 2019.

AUSA 2019 | Secretary of the Army, Hon. Ryan D. McCarthy, at… | Flickr



There is a document in the hand of Mr. McCarthy standing on the right side of the photo, and if you enlarge it you can see that it is written as 'Vintage Racer'.



Although the content of the document is blurry and hard to see, the analysis by the Aviation Week Network shows that the vintage racer has the title ``Loitering Weapon System (LWS) Overview'' next to it, which is a characteristic of Vintage Racer. It was said that 'supersonic approach', 'survivability', 'target arrival time', 'multiple roles', 'modular payload', 'cost imposition strategy', etc.



With limited information, the Aviation Week Network said: 'A supersonic projectile landed in the general area, bypassing the enemy's defenses, functioning like a missile launch pad or air defense radar to patrol for targets. It's the one that gives off an aviation system that does.

News media The Drive explained that the term 'supersonic approach' means that the Vintage Racer is approaching its target at speeds of Mach 5 and above. Although the method is not known from the publicly available information, ballistic missiles and supersonic patrol missiles are considered to be possible. However, The Drive believes that ballistic missiles are more likely than supersonic missiles in terms of cost. According to the material, the Vintage Racer has a stealth radar and is also difficult to detect by enemies. The target arrival time is 60 to 90 minutes, and when reaching the general area, Vintage Racer uses the guidance system to eject the attached projectile and destroy the target. At this time, it is not necessary to know the detailed position of the target before landing.

Already, Israel has developed such a weapon that 'travels to find and attack targets'. This weapon employs a man-in-the-loop control system that allows humans to enter the control loop, quickly changing targets according to the priority of the situation, such as when another threat appears, and moving targets. It is possible to aim with high accuracy. Since humans are involved in control, it is possible to stop the attack to avoid collateral damage, such as when civilians are nearby.

IAI Green Dragon-YouTube


According to The Drive, the 2021 Department of Defense budget application stated that 'The Vintage Racer has matured its advanced ability to pursue its intended target.' 'This project confirmed wind tunnel test success in aerodynamic design. We have incorporated the guidance subsystem into the desired kinetic effects by the 2019 flight test. Documents and prototype technology have been transferred to the U.S. military for further development.' And other budget documents show that at least the project has existed since 2017.

'An idea like the Vintage Racer has been discussed as a possibility within the community of supersonic weapons,' said Stefano Bitch of the Russian International Affairs Council to the Aviation Week Network. 'Something' breaks through defense missiles and lands, and the aircraft launched from there finds the launch pad for intercontinental ballistic missiles installed in the forest.'

Related Posts:

in Hardware, Posted by darkhorse_log