France entered stealth in the hypersonic race with the PROJECT V-MAX (VÉHICULE MANOEUVRANT EXPERIENTIFICAL)a demonstrator hypersonic glider whose first public flight trial was held in June 2023 from Biscarrosse. That launch was a relevant technical step for Europebecause it allowed to validate materials, thermal protection and the maneuvering capacity of a vehicle that travels at extreme speeds.
What is the V-Max and how does it work?
V-Max is not a conventional cruise missile: It is a hypersonic glider that is launched by a carrier rocket And, once released at great altitude, plans and maneuver during the atmospheric reentry to achieve its goal. The approach combines the initial energy provided by the pitcher with the aerodynamics of the glider to maintain speeds greater than Mach 5 while executing unpredictable maneuvers.
The objective of these tests is double: on the one hand, check structural integrity and thermal protection; On the other, studying how to control a vehicle that suffers extreme aircraft loads and must be necessary despite moving at high speed and variable altitude. French and European research centers and centers participate in the project, which is raised as an incremental program to learn with each flight.
Speeds, scope and ability to evade defenses
Hypersonic glider like V-Max operate in a range of speeds From Mach 5 and, in more ambitious objectives, they could approach much greater values. In research and development contexts, there is talk of theoretical thresholds that reach Mach 10 – Mach 20 for certain demonstrators, although the initial trials focus on validating maneuverability and survival at speeds already classified as hypersonic. The great combination here is speed + maneuverability + reentred at low altitudewhich reduces the radar detection window and complicates the prediction of the trajectory.
In addition, friction and aerodynamic heating force to use advanced materials and thermal control systems – that limits both the design and the useful life of the vehicle. From the point of view of defense, an HGV (Hypersonic Glide Vehicle) that changes course within the atmosphere generates trajectories that do not follow classical ballistic curves, so the systems designed to intercept ballistic missiles have less time and less certainty about where the interceptor should point. That mixture is what makes hypersonic into such a different challenge for traditional antimile defense.
What countries could stop the V-Max?
While you have to be prudent then There is no guaranteed solution that perfectly interprets all hypersonic plannersthere are countries that, due to their investment in sensors, command and control capabilities, and high -performance interceptor missiles, would have better options to try.
Among them they usually mention United States, Russia and China for the maturity and amplitude of its hypersonic and antimile programs. These countries combine early alert satellites, very long -range radar networks and interceptor vectors that, correctly integrated, increase the probabilities of detection and demolition.
However, “being able to try” does not equal safe success. The real efficacy depends on a complete architecture: space telescopes, infrared satellites, terrestrial and airborne radars, control centers that process the information in real time and weapons that can react in a matter of minutes or seconds. Even with all that, controlled tests and interceptions have shown limitations and generate debate among experts.
Other countries – such as Japan, India, the United Kingdom and France itself – advance in sensors and defenses, but today not everyone has the operational integration that significantly increases the probabilities of interception against complex HGVs.
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