Ursa Majoran American hypersonic propulsion company, has presented a new hypersonic missile system (with speed greater than Mach 5 / 5,300 km/h) designed for large-scale and cost-effective productionin line with what was expressed by the Pentagonof 3 million dollars per unit. The announcement took place this Monday at the Air Warfare Symposium organized by the Air and Space Forces Association in Denver, where defense representatives meet to discuss the next generation of air power.
The new system, called HAVOCis multi-domain and can be launched from sea, land and air. Furthermore, it incorporates thrust and reset control capability in all phases of flight and its design allows it eliminate expensive thermal protection.
It is thought not only as a combat weapon, but also as a hypersonic target for testing and training. The company indicated that this dual-use approach responds to urgent operational needs while strengthening the industrial fabric of the United States.
Designed for rapid, large-scale production
HAVOC is built around the liquid fuel rocket motor Draperfrom the company itself. Draper uses storable propellants and is designed for safe and tactical use. Ursa Major assures that Its cost is a fraction of that of ‘air-breathing’ hypersonic propulsion systems (which take oxygen from the air)..
The company relies on manufacturing through 3D printing and in modern production processes to reduce costs. The system has been designed to be manufactured quickly and in significant quantities, rather than as a limited series of high-level prototypes.
‘Keeping pace against our adversaries requires more than exquisitely sophisticated systems. Requires speed of delivery, affordability and the ability to produce at scale‘, says the company’s CEO, Chris Spagnolettiin a statement.
‘Ursa Major HAVOC missile system offers hypersonic weapon high performance‘, designed from the outset to be produced quickly and in quantity, providing the warfighter with a credible and adaptable capability,’ he adds.
The company explains that the missile aims to respond to urgent Army requirements by combining high performance at high speed with production scalability.
Thrust control in all phases of flight
One of the most notable features of HAVOC is its ability to modulate thrust and reset during each phase of flight, both in the initial boost stage and during the cruise and terminal phases. This flexibility seeks enable more advanced maneuvers and mission profiles than with traditional hypersonic systems boost and glide and hypersonic cruise missiles.
Since the engine can be controlled in flight, the system does not require the expensive thermal protection systems typically associated with extreme heat loads at hypersonic speeds. Eliminating this requirement helps reduce the total cost of the system and simplifies the needs of the supply chain.
The missile is also designed to operate both inside and outside the atmosphere. This endoatmospheric and exoatmospheric capability expands mission options, depending on booster configuration.
Modular design for multiple launch platforms
HAVOC incorporates a modular architecture that allows it to be integrated with different solid fuel propellants. This design makes it compatible with a wide variety of launch platforms. The missile can be deployed from fighters and bombers, vertical launch systems on ships or from ground launchers.
The defense company said it brings more than a decade of hypersonic development and flight experience to the program. Their liquid fuel engines Hadley They have already flown in hypersonic conditions and their performance in real scenarios has been validated.