Israeli company Rafael, known for its Iron Dome and David’s Sling missile defense systems, has announced the development of a new anti-aircraft missile system designed to intercept targets moving at hypersonic speeds.
The new system has been named SkySonic. The concept of the system has already been demonstrated in a video released by Rafael.
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It is referring to actual hypersonic missiles and aircraft equipped with a hypersonic scramjet engine, rather than rockets that can reach such speeds due to solid rocket boosters.
Besides the logical declaration of the capability to intercept maneuvering targets, the video includes an extremely interesting detail – the interception trajectory of the targets. Given the brief episode, it is difficult to assert this with 100% certainty, but it appears that the demonstrated capability involves chasing the target. In contrast, missile defense systems are typically designed to engage targets on intersecting courses.
It should be noted that in order to intercept a hypersonic target, the interceptor missile needs to move several times faster than the target itself. Therefore, the speed of the SkySonic missile would need to be approximately, taking the lower threshold of hypersonic speeds at 5-10 Mach, which is around 3.4 km/s. The developers of this system have already declared its capability to intercept targets moving at speeds of 10 Mach.
To achieve this, the SkySonic missile is designed with a two-stage system, and it is the second-stage booster that enables the missile to reach such high speeds.
Indeed, the main feature of the SkySonic system is not just achieving hypersonic speeds, which requires extensive scientific advancements in materials and propellant, but also the responsiveness of the system itself and its guidance capabilities during the terminal phase.
Achieving the capability to chase hypersonic targets, when the interceptor is flying through plasma, is likely the most critical secret of SkySonic. Additionally, it requires ensuring the system’s functionality at “space-like” intersecting velocities, approximately reaching speeds of 7 km/s.
Rafael has announced that this concept will be showcased at the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget, starting on June 19. It seems highly likely that SkySonic could objectively expect to be the main premiere of the show.
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