Hypersonic weapons will present severe technological challenges for ruggedized electronics

WASHINGTON – Ultra-fast hypersonic weapons have rocketed to among the chief concerns for U.S. military planners as Moscow and Beijing eye the means to combat U.S. missile defenses. The Hill reports. Continue reading original article

The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:

23 April 2019 -- Hypersonics represent a variety of technological challenges, particularly for electronics and electro-optics manufacturers, to protect against chock, vibration, and extremes in electronics cooling and thermal management that non-hypersonic weapons rarely face.

It's not entirely clear what kinds of acceleration and shock that hypersonic weapons with ruggedized electronics must deal with. A bullet shot from a gun, for example, travels at about 1700 miles per hour, or Mach 2.2. Hypersonic weapons go at speeds twice that.

Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan recently sounded the alarm that the U.S. military "is not moving fast enough to stay ahead" of rivals China and Russia in space, citing advances in a several technologies, especially hypersonics.

Related: Hypersonic weapons to play no part in U.S. nuclear deterrence, says U.S. Strategic Command chief

Related: Just in a nick of time: U.S. military researchers finally get serious about Mach 5 hypersonic weapons

Related: Lockheed Martin hypersonic missile may achieve speeds of 3,800 miles per hour -- or one mile per second

John Keller, chief editor
Military & Aerospace Electronics

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