Hypersonic glide vehicle

A hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) is a type of warhead for ballistic missiles that can maneuver and glide at hypersonic speed. It is used in conjunction with ballistic missiles to significantly change their trajectories after launch. Conventional ballistic missiles follow a predictable ballistic trajectory and are vulnerable to interception by the latest anti-ballistic missile (ABM) systems. The in-flight maneuverability of HGVs makes them unpredictable, allowing them to effectively evade air defenses. ^{[1] [2] [3]} As of 2022 ^[update] , hypersonic glide vehicles are the subject of an arms race. ^[4]

Projects

China

Chinese DF-ZF hypersonic glide vehicle mounted on the DF-17 ballistic missile.

• DF-ZF Mach 5–10 ^[5]
• DF-27

France

• VMaX (first flight test took place on June 26, 2023 from the DGA's site in Biscarrosse and was successful) ^{[6] [7] [8] [9] [10]}
• VMaX-2 (under development; first flight test expected in 2024 or 2025) ^[11]

India

• LRAShM (under development)
• BM-04 (under development)

Iran

• Fattah-1 - Mach 13-15 ^[12]
• Fattah 2 - Mach 5 to 20 ^[13]

Japan

• Hyper Velocity Gliding Projectile (HVGP) (under development) ^[14]

North Korea

• Hwasong-8. ^[15]
• Hwasong-12B (not tested yet). ^[16] It is possible that the Hwasong-12B was renamed from Hwasong-8. ^[17]
• Hwasong-16B (tested in April 2024). ^[18]

There have also been reports of other hypersonic glide vehicle being mounted on the other ballistic missiles. ^{[19] [20]}

Russia

Launch of the UR-100UTTKh ICBM, carrying the Avangard HGV, from Dombarovsky Air Base

• Avangard Mach 20 ^[21]

US

American Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon being deployed at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station

• Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2 (experimental)
• AGM-183 Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) (under development)
• OpFires (under development)
• Common-Hypersonic Glide Body (C-HGB) (in development for US Army (LRHW) and US Navy Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS))

Countermeasures

Boost-glide weapons are generally designed to avoid existing missile defense systems, either by continually maneuvering or by flying at lower altitudes to reduce warning time. This generally makes such weapons easier to intercept using defensive systems intended for lower-altitude "low-tier" targets. Flying at lower speeds than short-range ballistic missile warheads makes them easier to attack. ^[22] Those that approach with very low terminal attack profiles are even subject to attack by modern hypervelocity guns and railguns. ^[23] The evasion capabilities that HGVs employ are largely limited to the upper atmospheric flight span. ^{[24] [25] [26]}

See also

• Hypersonic flight
• Hypersonic weapon
• Maneuverable reentry vehicle
• Multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle
• Non-ballistic atmospheric entry

References

1. Zastrow, Mark (4 November 2021). "How does China's hypersonic glide vehicle work?". Astronomy.com. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
2. "U.S. vs. China: The Race to Build Hypersonic Missiles", WSJ, retrieved 17 November 2022– via Google You tube
3. "From Sänger to Avangard – hypersonic weapons come of age". Royal Aeronautical Society. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
4. "'National pride is at stake.' Russia, China, United States race to build hypersonic weapons". Science.org. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
5. Gady, Franz-Stefan (28 April 2016). "China Tests New Weapon Capable of Breaching US Missile Defense Systems". The Diplomat . Retrieved 14 December 2018.
6. "France debuts hypersonic glide weapon in first VMaX test flight". Air force tech. 28 June 2023.
7. "France Conducts First VMaX Hypersonic Glide Vehicle Test". Naval news. 27 June 2023.
8. "France conducts first test firing of V-MAX hypersonic glider demonstrator". Aero time. 27 June 2023.
9. "La France a testé le planeur hypersonique VMAX d'Ariane Group". Ouest France (in French). 27 June 2023.
10. "Armées : la France a testé pour la première fois un planeur hypervéloce, capable de voler à plus de Mach 5". Le figaro (in French). 27 June 2023.
11. "Le ministère des Armées va financer un second démonstrateur de planeur hypersonique, le VMaX-2". Opex 360 (in French). 4 May 2023.
12. Iran’s Mach 15 speeding solid-fueled ballistic missiles penetrate Israel’s air defense
13. IRGC unveils Fattah-2 hypersonic missile, other military achievements
14. "Japan unveils its hypersonic weapons plans". Yahoo.
15. "Hwasong 8 Ballistic Missile with a Hypersonic Glide Vehicle | MilitaryToday.com". www.militarytoday.com. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
16. "Kim Jong-un unveils two new North Korea combat drones resembling US's Reaper and Global Hawk". The Independent . Retrieved 8 January 2025.
17. "North Korean nuclear weapons, 2024" (PDF). Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists . Retrieved 8 January 2025.
18. Zwirko, Colin (2 April 2024). "North Korea says Kim Jong Un led test of new 'Hwasong-16B' hypersonic missile". NK News . Retrieved 3 April 2024.
19. "Does North Korea have a real Hypersonic Glide Vehicle (HGV)". www.b14643.de. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
20. Lendon, Yoonjung Seo, Brad (10 January 2022). "Suspected North Korea missile test hit speed of Mach 10, more advanced than previous test, Seoul says". CNN. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
21. "Avangard", Missile Threat, CSIS.
22. "Introducing The Ballistic Missile Defense Ship". Aviation Week. 11 April 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2019. The downside is when the [HGV] warhead nears its target, it has less speed and altitude and is therefore more easily intercepted by low-tier interceptors, including potential rail guns.
23. Tadjdeh, Yasmin (26 January 2018). "Secretive Pentagon Office Shares Details About Hypervelocity Missile Defense Weapon". National Defense.
24. Kunertova, Dominika. "Hypersonic Weapons: Fast, Furious… and Futile?". RUSI. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
25. Brockmann, Kolja. "A matter of speed? Understanding hypersonic missile systems". Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. SIPRI. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
26. Wright, David. "The Physics and Hype of Hypersonic Weapons". The Scientific American. Retrieved 3 January 2023.