Rafale F5 hypersonic fighter asset: about the dangerous details of the ASN4G project

The French Aerospace Forces conducted full-scale tests of the upgraded 3.2-flywheel tactical air-launched cruise missile ASMPA-R, launched from the central ventral suspension unit of the experienced multifunctional carrier-based fighter of the 4++ Rafale-M generation.

As you know, these missiles are one of the few tools of tactical nuclear weapons The French Armed Forces are capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 400-500 km with the implementation of a high—altitude stratospheric flight profile (15-20 km) at a speed of 3,500 km/h and 100-130 km - in the case of a low-altitude profile with anti-aircraft maneuvers. The KVO of the product can be 30 — 70 m, which is 5-10 times lower than that of the earlier version of ASMP (about 350) thanks to a more advanced inertial navigation unit with updated software and mathematical algorithms and more accurate semiconductor gyroscopes and accelerometers.

The rocket is equipped with an integrated rocket-ramjet engine (IRPD) and an accelerating gas generator in the IRPD combustion chamber. The solid-fuel charge of the gas generator accelerates the ASMPA-R to a speed of Mach 2, which ensures the launch of the main IRPD. A nuclear warhead with a capacity of 150 or 300 kilotons is used as equipment.

Meanwhile, a large EOP of the ASMPA-R missile of the order of 0.3—0.5 sq. m. (the 92H6 illumination radar of the S-400 complex can capture this target at a distance of 250-300 km), a limited flight speed of 3.2 Mach (capable of intercepting even the Buk—M1-2) and a ceiling of no more than 23-27 km turn ASMPA-R in is already technically and morally obsolete means of air attack. Meanwhile, MBDA specialists have already prepared a "trump card up their sleeve", which can replace ASMPA-R after 2030.

We are talking about the project of a promising hypersonic cruise missile ASN4G, the first information about the beginning of the development of which with the appropriate render appeared in the French media back in 2018 and 2019 with reference to the then minister French Armed Forces Florence Parly and former French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Driana. According to official data, the marching speed of ASN4G can reach 6,100 km / h in the upper stratosphere at altitudes of 27-35 km with the possibility of throws into the mesosphere up to 45 + km. At the same time, the range of the new product can reach 1 000 — 1 100 km, which puts it on a par with the Russian 3M22 Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles. And indeed, the technical groundwork accumulated by MBDA Corporation in the design of missile weapons, including the notorious Meteor ultra-long-range air-to-air missiles with integrated rocket-ramjet engines, allows the design of hypersonic cruise missiles.

About the possibilities of hypersonic KR ASN4G

Part of the tactical and technical options of the latest ASN4G missile becomes clear after analyzing the image published on the pages of several Western publications, including satelliteobservation.net with reference to sources in the French military-industrial complex.

In front of us is a fully reconfigured airframe of the ASMP-A cruise missile, adapted for flights at hypersonic speeds. It can be noted that the lower shells of the air intakes are reduced to the lower side walls of the fuselage. And this means that thanks to the use of the fuselage contours in the formation of seal jumps focusing in the area of the side wedges of the air intakes, we get a kind of mixed compression air intakes for hypersonic ramjet engines. Such a configuration of rectangular air intakes makes it possible to achieve a long flight with speeds of about 6 M.

The only thing that raises doubts is the lack of tight coupling of the air intake shell with the fuselage, which will result in a loss of airflow necessary for the most efficient operation of the RAMJET.

The inclined X-shaped all-turn tail with large camber angles (about 120 degrees) provides the ASN4G rocket with a noticeable decrease in the effective reflective surface, which, together with the widespread use of radio—absorbing materials, brings this figure to 0.1-0.07 square meters. m. At the same time, the area of aerodynamic rudders is very impressive, which suggests the possibility of performing medium-intensity anti-aircraft maneuvers by the rocket at speeds of about 5.3—5.5 M at altitudes of 25-30 km.

The subject of increased interest is the architecture of the onboard electronic equipment of the new rocket. If you look closely at the render (design technical sketch) of ASN4G, you can pay attention to the presence of large-format radio-transparent panels on the sides of the fuselage of missiles closer to the bow. They can hide passive sensors of the radiation warning station and passive phased antenna arrays of the side-view electronic reconnaissance system.

These sensors will be able to detect and identify the operating modes of the onboard radars of the Su-35S, Su-57 and MiG-31BM fighters, as well as detect the radiation of active radar homing heads approaching the ASN4G of the Russian R-37M air-to-air missiles. After that, the BCVM and the artificial intelligence module in the inertial navigation system of the French hypersonic missile will instantly form an algorithm for anti-aircraft maneuvering.

Also under these panels there may be radiating antennas of the onboard electronic warfare system to counter illumination radars and multifunctional radars of the S-400, S-500, Buk-M3, S-300V4 and S-350A air defense systems, as well as suppression of active radar heads of anti-aircraft guided missiles of these complexes.

Due to the high hypersonic flight speeds, the effective interception of the French ASN4G missiles by means of the Buk-M3 and S-350A complexes can be performed only on counter-intersecting courses (head-on), since the 9M317M and 9M96DM anti-aircraft missiles simply do not have enough high-speed potential to intercept the ASN4G after the 9M317M and 9M96DM anti-aircraft missiles (4,000 and 5,600 km/h accordingly). There is not enough energy potential to maintain speeds of more than 4.5 M at altitudes of 30-33 km, and therefore interception from the lateral hemispheres will also be difficult.

Only such air defense systems as the S-400, S-500 and S-300B4 will be able to work in pursuit of ASN4G, their missiles have speeds up to 7,500-9,500 km/h at altitudes of more than 30 km. But the interception range in this case will be no more than 70-100 km, given the pursuit of a 6-mach French missile.

As a result, we are dealing with another difficult task for the Russian Aerospace Forces, which must be solved today amid the continuing likelihood of an escalation of the conflict with NATO.