News HYPERSONICS - The new stealth

[Marvin42]

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Tactical Technology Office (TTO) will host a Proposers' Day on Tuesday, August 14, 2012 to provide information to potential proposers on the goals and objectives of the IH program and technical areas sought by a planned IH Technology Development Broad Agency Announcement (BAA). The Proposer's Day will be held at the DARPA Conference Center in Ballston, Arlington, VA. Advance registration is required.

See here

Hypersonic X-plane (HX) in 2016

“DoD’s hypersonic technology efforts have made significant advancements in our technical understanding of several critical areas including aerodynamics; aerothermal effects; and guidance, navigation and control,” said Acting DARPA Director, Kaigham J. Gabriel. “but additional unknowns exist.”

more here
Any news related to a flight-test of X-51A on august, 14, 2012 is unconfirmed.

 

[Urwumpe]

Funny that they call it the new Stealth, despite hypersonic vehicles being pretty visible on radar... It is not "See, before you are seen", but rather a "kill, before you are killed."

Sometimes it is going into the same direction by both concepts, often, it is not.

 

[jedidia]

It isn't easy to surgically hit a target from a hypersonic plane, though (not that it was easy from a slower plane, either). I see increasing colaterals coming our way

 

[jonmatifa]

Hypersonic X-plane (HX) in 2016

So how much longer for an XR-spaceplane?

 

[Urwumpe]

It isn't easy to surgically hit a target from a hypersonic plane, though (not that it was easy from a slower plane, either). I see increasing colaterals coming our way

It also isn't easy to make better photographs from a low flying hypersonic aircraft than from a satellite. And a hypersonic aircraft is a visible hostile act, while a satellite is not.

 

[Marvin42]

It also isn't easy to make better photographs from a low flying hypersonic aircraft than from a satellite. And a hypersonic aircraft is a visible hostile act, while a satellite is not.

I believe that extreme hypersonic flight at Mach 20 make any antimissile system (moving faster than missiles is a god mode) or radar useless (by the time the aircraft is shown on the radar for the first time, the plane has already left the radar's range; also a small and only bip on the radar will not alert anybody). But, i guess, the article does not speak about stealth as we know it now but a new concept of stealth where you don't need 'anymore' to be invisible (actually the older invisible concept was also ,at that time, a new way to interpret invisibility as the aircraft just had a lower radar signature which caused enemy-human errors in interpreting it).

 

[Ghostrider]

Hypersonics is not "the new stealth". It's a completely opposite and equally valid way to take on an opponent. Instead of taking him by surprise by sneaking up on him, you hit him hard and fast before he can react. The upside is that you get results faster, the downside is that it's not a deniable tactic. We've had this approach with the Cold War already, and the best defence against such an attach will always be to strike first.

 

[jedidia]

Hypersonics is not "the new stealth".

Maybe they meant it in terms of design trends, as in "red is the new blue" and similar nonsensical slogans...?

 

[Marvin42]

So how much longer for an XR-spaceplane?

Actually I guess it's going to be even longer considering that you need extremely fast computers to make decisions at that speed. For a predetermined test flight-plan it should be no problem with current hardware but for a complex military machine it will definitely need more transistors .

---------- Post added at 09:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:10 PM ----------

Maybe they meant it in terms of design trends, as in "red is the new blue" and similar nonsensical slogans...?

I guess, when it comes to DARPA their meanings are as dark as their background (webpage background at least). :lol: