Re:The Rise of Hypersonic Weapons
by ch4s3 on Wednesday October 12, 2016 @11:22AM
(#12693672)
Yes, clearly. If you slam into the water at Mach 6, there won't be anything left of you weapon more than a few meters down.
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Re:The Rise of Hypersonic Weapons
by regularfry on Wednesday October 12, 2016 @11:54AM
(#12693955)
Interesting question: is it possible to build something capable of hypersonic speeds which can survive a surface impact and go straight into supercavitation?
Alternatively, how deep do you have to go to escape the damaging effects of the shockwave from something slapping into the surface of the sea at mach 6?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunker_buster
They've dealt with base penetration problems before and I'm sure there has been progression since.
At hypersonic speeds, hitting the water starts to resemble slamming into the side of a tank. I'm not sure how that could be managed while keeping the warhead intact, and of course, you'd need to lift all of that armoring in the first place, and the drive to make it work underwater and produce cavitation effects.
As to how deep... not that deep, especially for a boomer.
When waiting for a retaliatory strike a sub can be at any operational depth, it doesn't have to wait at firing depth near the surface. It could potentially be a kilometer below the surface. If some hearsay is to be believed it could be resting on the ocean floor.
There is also the matter of targeting these things. Water absorbs radar and if they are silent you have no way to target your bunker buster.
Having hit the water at 60mph. Can confirm, felt like hitting the side of a tank.
How did that happen? Fall off a speed boat?
Modified jet ski with the governor removed from the engine. I was 16. My buddy and I were taking turns trying to throw each other off.
It hurt. Hit so hard I got water under my eyelids. Felt like my face exploded. Knocked the wind out of me. Luckily: life vest.
I've also fallen off a jetski at high speeds (~90km/h). The impact of the lifejacket trying to keep me above water broke a rib, but quite possibly saved my life.
Damn... how did that happen to you?
Re:The Rise of Hypersonic Weapons
by dredmorbius on Wednesday October 12, 2016 @01:00PM
(#12694567)
If free-fall, that would require a drop height of about 40m (130 ft).
I've always been afraid of the high dive. Unfortunately I did not share the same fear of powered water craft.
Re:The Rise of Hypersonic Weapons
by dredmorbius on Wednesday October 12, 2016 @03:44PM
(#12695906)
Ain't that th' thing about life? So many opportunities to learn new things!
There may be some survivorship bias here. Pleanty of people report that hitting water at high speed "feels like" hitting something solid. Very few people are alive to tell us what hitting somehting solid at high speed feels like.
Indeed. I have not hit a tank at 60 mph. That part was inferred.
No, water is essentially incompressible, and at hypersonic speeds? BANG