SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG
Following the successful test of India’s Hypersonic Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRAShM), the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is shifting its focus to Project Dhvani, an ambitious program to develop Hypersonic Glide Vehicles (HGVs).
Based on the wave-rider configuration, this project aims to create a versatile and advanced hypersonic weapon system capable of evading sophisticated air defenses. DRDO is exploring three key HGV configurations: the Conical Body HGV, Winged Body HGV with delta wings, and Blended Body HGV. Each design brings unique strengths and challenges.
Conical Body HGV
The conical body design is one of the simplest and most robust HGV configurations. Its shape leverages aerodynamics to reduce drag at hypersonic speeds and provides stability during flight.
Pros:
- Structural Simplicity: The conical shape is straightforward to design and manufacture, reducing development time and costs.
- Heat Resistance: The geometry naturally distributes aerodynamic heating, making it easier to protect the vehicle from the intense heat generated at hypersonic speeds.
- High Stability: The conical body offers inherent stability in high-speed flight.
Cons:
- Lower Maneuverability: Its design limits lateral control, making it less agile compared to winged configurations.
- Reduced Lift-to-Drag Ratio: This limits the vehicle’s ability to sustain extended gliding phases, reducing its potential range and target adaptability.
Winged Body HGV with Delta Wings
This design incorporates delta-shaped wings for enhanced aerodynamic performance, allowing for extended glide phases and improved manoeuvrability.
Pros:
- Increased Range: The higher lift-to-drag ratio enables the vehicle to glide further, extending its range significantly.
- Improved Maneuverability: The delta wings provide better control, allowing the HGV to perform evasive manoeuvres and hit moving targets with precision.
- Versatility: This design supports a variety of mission profiles, including anti-ship, anti-air, and land-attack roles.
Cons:
- Structural Complexity: The addition of wings increases design and manufacturing complexity, leading to higher costs.
- Heat Management Challenges: The extended surface area of the wings is more exposed to extreme heat, requiring advanced thermal protection systems.
- Potential for Drag: While delta wings improve lift, they also add aerodynamic drag, which can impact speed and efficiency.
Blended Body HGV
The blended body design combines the fuselage and wings into a single, integrated aerodynamic shape. This configuration is optimized for stealth, range, and speed.
Pros:
- High Lift-to-Drag Ratio: The seamless integration of body and wings enhances aerodynamic efficiency, enabling longer glides and extended range.
- Stealth Features: The smooth, unified shape reduces radar cross-section, making the vehicle harder to detect.
- Thermal Efficiency: The streamlined design minimizes localized heating, distributing thermal stress more evenly.
Cons:
- Advanced Engineering Requirements: Developing a blended body demands cutting-edge computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling and testing, increasing development time and costs.
- Complex Manufacturing: The intricate design requires specialized materials and precision engineering, complicating production.
- Challenging Control Dynamics: Achieving stability and control in a blended body design is more complex, requiring advanced guidance systems.
The diversity of these designs under Project Dhvani reflects DRDO’s commitment to creating a family of HGVs tailored for different operational needs. While the conical body design may serve as an entry-point system for reliability and simplicity, the winged and blended body configurations offer superior performance for advanced mission profiles.
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