Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin is calling for the development of a hypersonic bomber for that country’s air force. He said that his country should consider developing a hypersonic aircraft for its long-range bomber needs. But the question is, if the country really develops a hypersonic aircraft, will they follow America or manipulate their own skills/techniques?

To fly at hypersonic (speed) means flying five times the speed of sound (343.2 metres or 1,126 ft per second) or faster than 3,840 miles (6180 km) per hour. Spending $140/£89 million, USA built a hypersonic aircraft called X-51A WaveRider. This new hypersonic aircraft X-51A WaveRider had the ability to reach a speed of 4,500 mph (7242 kmph) within seconds and therefore it could possibly travel from New York to London, a journey of approximate 3471 miles (5586 kilometers) across the Atlantic Ocean in an hour or less.

On 15 August, a B52 bomber carried the hypersonic aircraft X-51A Waverider above the Pacific Ocean for its first test flight. But after the separation of  the X-51A WaveRider from the B-52, approximate 15 seconds later, due to a problem with one of the aircraft’s control fins, the hypersonic aircraft lost its control and subsequently crashed in the ocean. The $140/£89 million X-51A WaveRider project which USA started to develop from 2004, turned into a total loss within moments. To see an animated video of how that test flight was supposed to be, visit my previous post.

As the hypersonic technology impressed Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin so he told Rossiya 24 TV on Monday, 27 August, ”I think we need to go down the route of hypersonic technology and we are moving in that direction and are not falling behind the Americans. We will use this technology when developing a new bomber.”

But as Rogozin knew what had happened to America’s hypersonic aircraft X-51A WaveRider, so he said, ”The question is will we copy the Americans’ 40-year experience and create a [Northrop] B-2 analog … or will we go down a new, ultramodern technology route, looking to the horizon, and create a machine able to penetrate air defenses and carry out a strike on any aggressor..”

Russian Air Force officials have said that if Russia starts to develop hypersonic aircraft’s engines now, then they might be able to build a future long-range aircraft (hypersonic bomber) by 2020.

Be noted, Russia has agreed to work with India in order to develop a new hypersonic Brahmos II cruise missile. Test flight of that hypersonic Brahmos II cruise missile will take place in 2017.

Source : Flight Global

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