Analysis of the aerodynamic performance of a hypersonic gliding missile with a deflected warhead

Abstract

In this study, we propose a scheme to control the deflection of the warhead based on the configuration of the hypersonic glide body (HGB) to solve the problems posed by its large control surface load and severe aerodynamic heat under hypersonic flight conditions. We conducted numerical simulations on the configurations of deflection of the warhead of an HGB analog under different flight modes as well as varying angles and directions of deflection. The results showed that once the warhead had been deflected, the overall configuration of the HGB analog still exhibited static longitudinal stability. An increase in the angle of deflection significantly reduced the lift-to-drag ratio of the configuration at large angles of attack. When the warhead was deflected upward, the configuration of the HGB analog exhibited static lateral instability, while it exhibited a high static lateral stability when the warhead was deflected downward.