A sizing-based approach to evaluate hypersonic demonstrators: demonstrator-carrier constraints

Abstract

The objective of this study is to identify, evaluate, and provide recommendations towards the realisation of near-term hypersonic flight hardware through the consideration of carrier vehicle constraints. The current rush of available funds for hypersonic research cannot cause a program to ignore growth potential for future missions. The prior NB-52 carrier vehicles, famous for the X-15 and X-43A missions, are retired. Next generation hypersonic demonstrator requirements will necessitate a substitution of carrier vehicle capability. Flight vehicle configuration, technology requirements, and recommendations are arrived at by constructing and evaluating a hypersonic technology demonstrator design matrix. This multi-disciplinary parametric sizing investigation of hypersonic vehicle demonstrators focuses on the evaluation of the combined carrier platform, booster, and hypersonic cruiser solution space topography. Promising baseline configurations are evaluated against operational requirements by trading fuel type, endurance cruise time, and payload weight. The multi-disciplinary study results are constrained with carrier payload mass and geometry limitations. The multi-disciplinary results provide physical insights into near-term hypersonic demonstrator payload and cruise time requirements that will stretch the capability of existing carrier aircraft. Any growth in hypersonic research aircraft size or capability will require new carrier vehicle investments.

Global Nonsingular Fast Terminal Sliding Mode Control of Aerodynamic Heat Simulation Heating System Based on Linear Extended State Observer

“…Hypersonic vehicles [1,2] are currently an important research direction in the field of aerospace and aviation, and they also play a vital role in future national defense security. This type of aircraft generates friction with the surrounding air during flight, causing the rapid rising temperature of the surrounding air, and heat conduction leads to the surface of the hypersonic vehicle heating up rapidly.…”

Aerodynamic Study of the NASA’s X-43A Hypersonic Aircraft

“…They studied the case of a hypersonic flow past a sphere as a test model for systems in strong chemical and thermal non-equilibrium conditions, mimicking the extreme environment experienced by objects entering a planetary atmosphere. A deep study of the main characteristics of the different hypersonic aircrafts was presented in Halet et al [15], where recommendations and required actions to be taken to design and configure the next generation of hypersonic vehicles was carefully addressed. An improvement of a basic shape aircraft geometry based on genetic algorithms was introduced in Caros et al [16].…”