When we talk about the powerful performance of Eagle Strike -2 1 and the great tactical significance brought by its matching with 055 or even 052D, what many people don't notice is that there is a country near us that has quietly developed hypersonic weapons and related technologies for a long time, and even entered the research and development stage of practical models. The first "hypersonic glider" will be equipped as soon as 2026, which can realize the right.
Although this country's hypersonic weapon technology has a certain gap compared with China, Russia and the United States, it is probably second only to these three countries in the world and is fully capable of competing with European powers. It goes without saying who this country is-Japan!
This development path looks familiar, and it is exactly the same as the hypersonic missile development route disclosed in US 20 18. Firstly, based on the existing ballistic missile technology, the hypersonic booster gliding missile with conical warhead is developed; Redevelop wedge warhead hypersonic booster gliding missile; Finally, develop hypersonic cruise missiles.
The reason is that the United States has been passive in hypersonic weaponization in recent years, and Russian hypersonic missiles such as daggers, pioneers and zircon have successively served and even participated in actual combat.
In view of the powerful performance and deterrent value of this weapon, the United States urgently needs to equip its own hypersonic missile as soon as possible. In the absence of many key hypersonic technologies, we have to determine the priority of development according to maturity, forming a three-step development model.
Japan's hypersonic technology is less mature than that of the United States, and it is expected that it will be difficult to achieve actual combat results in the short term. However, adopting a development idea similar to that of the United States will help alleviate the pressure on R&D progress and funds.
Specifically, Japan has accumulated some experience in manned aircraft technology and flight practice in the early stage, and it is relatively difficult to develop high-speed booster gliding missiles, so it is more suitable for priority development to meet the requirements of armaments.
Comparatively speaking, Japan still has a gap in hypersonic cruise missile technology, and it needs continuous investment and long-term technical research before it can be weaponized. Therefore, Japan's hypersonic cruise missile project will focus on the core scramjet technology, and the next concrete progress is worthy of attention.