ADVANCED AEROSPACE SYSTEMS WITH INTERCONTINENTAL AND GLOBAL RANGE OF FLIGHT

摘要

The study of possible prospects for the development of reusable high-speed vehicles with intercontinental and global range of flight has been carried out on the basis of a complex system analysis. Three main classes of long-range vehicles are considered: 1. high-speed vehicles with long-range cruising flight in atmosphere; suborbital high-speed vehicles; orbital high-speed vehicles. The problems of passenger and payload transportation, monitoring of the Earth surface, the use of the vehicles in the interests of the Ministry for Emergency Situations and struggle against terrorism are discussed. Main possible characteristics of typical high-speed vehicles of three classes, the problems of their development, manufacture and operation are revealed on the conceptual level. The key problems of a high-speed vehicle with a scramjet designed for a long-range cruising flight in atmosphere are as follows: 1. providing high lift/drag ratio; 2. achieving high level of specific impulse of scramjet; 3. providing considerable relative vehicle fuel load. Such vehicles may be realized only when highly efficient structures and thermal protection of high-speed vehicles are created. One of the main factors speeding up the development of high-speed vehicles is a significant reduction of flight time (by times) for long range as compared with current subsonic cargo-passenger aircraft. This is very important for businessmen and tourists who can "appreciate the time". The first step is design of experimental vehicles-demonstrators.