Recently, international hot issues are related to some regional conflicts, such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which has lasted for a long time; More chaotic and complex conflicts in the Middle East, including the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the Red Sea crisis triggered by the spillover of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict; And the clashes between Iranian militants in Syria, Iraq, the United States, Israel, and so on! The topic of military affairs on the Internet can be described as hot, and missile-related topics are especially important here, after all, in this era, guidance ** is the mainstream, and most of the attacks and retaliations start with missiles! So the author also wants to rub off on the heat and talk about the development story of missiles (a brief history)!
Of course, before talking about the evolution of missiles, readers may need to agree with the author on the concept of missiles. Guided missile (Missile, also known as guided rocket), is a kind of self-contained power system (jet engine or rocket engine), can fly in the atmosphere (or in space), has the ability to guide the long-range blasting type**, is a modern ** with precision strike capabilities. The difference between a missile and a guided bomb is that the latter has guidance but no power, and the difference between a missile and a rocket art is that the latter is powered but not guided.
To say that missiles have to mention an important invention in ancient China - rocket (here refers to the ancient), as early as the Tang Dynasty, China invented gunpowder, which laid the foundation for the advent of rockets, to 969 AD, the Northern Song Dynasty, the invention of a long-range rocket powered by gunpowder, this rocket is made of a sealed and full of gunpowder cartridge plus the arrow body, igniting the gunpowder in the cartridge on the unsealed side, and using the reaction force generated by the gunpowder gas sprayed backwards to propel the rocket to fly, So as to achieve the purpose of attacking the enemy. The principle of operation of this ancient rocket is essentially no different from that of today's solid-fuel rockets. Since then, this kind of ** has been widely used in warfare. In the middle of the XIII century, the Mongols and Arabs, who invaded Central Asia and parts of Europe, introduced rocket technology to Europe and other parts of the world. Like gunpowder, China is the homeland of rockets, but in the end, it was first "carried forward" by Westerners.
It should be pointed out that whether it is ancient rockets or today's rockets, their most widespread application is military, and the biggest difference with missiles is that they are no longer controlled after they are launched, so they do not have the ability to strike accurately, the combat efficiency is not high, and the power is also limited. Although they are not missiles, they are a necessary stage in the development of missiles.
Missiles are guided rockets, and rockets naturally have to be able to guide, and if you want to talk about guidance, you have to say gyroscope guidance, a method that uses gyroscope technology to achieve accurate navigation and positioning of missiles or aircraft. A gyroscope is a device that measures and maintains orientation by detecting rotational motion and keeping it the same direction, thus providing the orientation information needed by navigation systems. The key to this technique is to maintain the orientation information of the aircraft, even in the absence of external guidance or reference. This inertial navigation system can provide data such as the aircraft's precise orientation, attitude, and rotational speed.
As early as the 19th century, the French physicist Jean Baptiste Leone Fresnel proposed the concept of gyroscope. However, it wasn't until the early 20th century that gyroscope technology began to find practical use. In the interwar period, gyroscopes were used in the navigation systems of airplanes and submarines, but these systems did not yet have the characteristics of full gyroscope guidance. In 1917, the U.S. Navy invented an autonomous drone based on a gyro-stabilized autopilot to bomb a German submarine factory, which can be seen as an early human exploration of powered inertial guidance**. In 1939, the British also designed an autonomous drone to bomb Germany, but it was eventually cancelled due to humanitarian disputes.
At the beginning of the last century, the Russian scientist Konstantin established the basic mathematical equations of rocket motion, which theoretically proved that the rocket can overcome the earth's gravity and has the potential to become a spacecraft. In 1926, Robert Huggins Goddard, the father of modern rocketry in the United States, successfully developed a liquid rocket and led the completion of the first flight test of a liquid-fueled rocket in human history! In 1932, he used a gyro-controlled gas rudder to control the flight of a rocket for the first time. NASA's main research center in Maryland was named the Goddard Space Flight Center in his honor.
In the thirties, the USSR was a little more advanced in rocket technology, and they abandoned attempts to use piston engines on missiles in favor of liquid rockets and jet engines (an idea that continues to this day). The Flying Missile Research Group, led by Sergei Korolev, tested a variety of winged rockets, and in 1936 completed the 212 missile project, a liquid-rocket-engine-driven, three-axis gyro-stabilized cruise missile with a range of 50 kilometers. However, in 1938, the Soviet Union's purge swept through the rocket research institute, many experts were executed, and Korolev was sentenced to ten years of hard labor, and this stupid act of cutting off his arm led to the instant collapse of the Soviet cruise missile program.
All modern missiles are developed on the basis of rocket technology, and missiles were really born during World War II in the 40s of the 20th century. Before the war, Germany was already in the leading position in rocket technology, and in 1933, a rocket development group led by German rocket experts Walter Robert Dornberg and Weiner von Braun set out to develop flying and ballistic rockets. After many failures, Braun and others succeeded in developing an improved A-4 ballistic rocket, the V-2 missile, in 1942, and two months later, another flying rocket was also successful, named the V-1 missile. Thus, the world's first ballistic missile and the first flying missile were born at the end of 1942. When the extremely destructive V-2 continued to fall from the sky at high speed to bomb London, I wonder how the British, who had given up using drones to attack Germany, felt at the beginning.
The V1 missile, equipped with a turbojet engine, an airplane-like engine, uses a simple gyroscope and barometer navigation system, and has a range of 370 kilometers. After the V1 missile is launched, it will fly over the English Channel, then extinguish the fire at a certain altitude above the target city, and then glide to the target area to carry out a including attack. Although the V1 missile caused some damage, due to its relatively low accuracy and relatively slow cruise speed, the British anti-missile system and fighter jets achieved a considerable interception success rate, successfully intercepting many V-1 missiles.
The V2 is a relatively successful missile with a liquid-fueled rocket engine capable of flying outside the atmosphere at an orbital altitude of up to 100 km and a range of close to 500 km. It employs a ballistic trajectory, and when launched, it rises vertically into the air at extremely high speeds, then flies outside the atmosphere, and finally descends to the target area at high speed. Due to its high speed and sudden fall, the V2 missile is very difficult to intercept. It caused great damage to cities such as London in the United Kingdom and was one of the milestones in missile technology. It would not be an exaggeration to say that London was the first city in history to be attacked by a missile.
V-1 and V-2 represent two different missile technologies, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles. They wreaked havoc on target cities in World War II and played a pioneering role in the development of missile technology. They are the progenitors of all ballistic and cruise missiles today, respectively! The foundation was laid for the development of subsequent missiles. At this point, the new style that can change the face of future warfare has finally stepped onto the stage of history.
After Germany's surrender, the United States and the Soviet Union divided Germany's missile technology (including experts, equipment, and related materials), so the missile and aerospace technology of the two countries developed rapidly after the war. The USSR developed a ballistic missile based on the V-2 in 1950. It was the first practical ballistic missile in the USSR for testing and developing missile technology.
The R-2 was an improved short-range ballistic missile developed by the Soviet Union in 1952, after which the Soviet Union continued to gain experience in missile technology.
After the 50s, with the rapid development of science and technology, the progress of various modern technologies, such as modern mechanics, high-energy fuels, special materials, radio electronic technology, electronic computer technology, automatic control, precision instruments and machinery, etc., provided the foundation for the development of missiles.
The USSR developed a ballistic missile R-1950 for strategic purposes. It was the first ballistic missile in the Soviet Union to be equipped with a nuclear warhead. During the same period, the Soviet Union also developed the R-11 missile (nicknamed "Scud") for tactical purposes, which was deployed in East Germany, Cuba and other places during the Cold War to deter opponents, and during this period, the Soviet Union was ahead of the world in missile technology.
The United States, which took away German scientists and part of the inventory of "V-2", at first, did not make any great achievements in missile research and development, but only continued to use V-2, and then based on it, in 47 years came up with a missile Aerobee for research purposes.
In the face of the Soviet Union's leading position, the United States accelerated the pace of developing medium-range and intercontinental missiles and rapidly narrowed the gap with the Soviet Union in missile technology. A ballistic missile developed by the United States in the early 1950s, the Redstone missile, which is also an improved version of the V-2. It was used in military and scientific research, and later became the basis of the Redstone rocket family.
The Jupiter missile is a medium-range ballistic missile developed by the United States in the mid-1950s for strategic and tactical purposes. The Jupiter missile was a source of international concern during the Cold War because it was deployed in Turkey and Italy, leading to some international tensions.
In 1955, China's famous rocket expert Mr. Qian Xuesen broke through the United States after returning to China, soon led the start of the new China's rocket and missile industry, China began to imitate the Soviet Union's R-2, November 5, 1960, at the Jiuquan launch site, "Dongfeng No. 1" missile test success, so far, China has also entered the missile era, in the early 60s, China has developed its own "Dongfeng No. 2" medium-range ballistic missile, with a range of 1250 kilometers, It has initially possessed the ability to strike long-range targets, and has raised the level of nuclear deterrence.
As mentioned earlier, from the invention of missiles by Germany during World War II to the missiles developed by the victorious countries such as the United States and the Soviet Union based on German technology in the 50s, they all belong to the first generation, which solves the problem of creating missiles from scratch as a future weapon of mass destruction. The first generation of missiles generally used liquid rocket engines, which were large, bulky, poorly maneuverable, technically complex, took a long time to prepare, and were inconvenient to use. The simple inertial guidance and radio command guidance methods used by it are not high in terms of hit accuracy and anti-jamming ability. The stage of the first generation of missiles was mainly focused on the development of ballistic missiles. Despite their leaps over artillery in range, accuracy of hits, and power, their overall combat effectiveness was still low.
The development of missile technology has gone through four generations, the second generation of missiles in the last century.
Developed and put into service in the sixties and seventies, using the rapid development of computer and electronic technology, the volume is reduced, the weight is reduced, the structure is simplified, and the performance is significantly improved. They generally use solid engines and turbojet and turbofan engines, which enhance the maneuverability and no longer simply pursue high speeds. At the same time, the use of inertial navigation and semi-active radar seeker improves the accuracy and probability of hitting. The increase in the type of warhead and the simplification of the structure of the system made it possible to increase the firepower of the second-generation missiles and shorten the combat reaction time. The second-generation missile can be regarded as a period of comprehensive improvement in the performance of missiles in all aspects, and it is also a period when countries begin to deploy missiles on a large scale.
In the 70s of the 20th century, the second-generation missiles of the United States consisted mainly of MX missiles (formerly known as "Peacekeeper") and Trident I (Trident I) submarine-launched ballistic missiles. These missiles have significant technological improvements, including multiple warhead capabilities, improved accuracy, and longer range.
The RSD-10, also codenamed SS-20 Saber by NATO, is a medium-range ballistic missile developed by the Soviet Union in the 70s of the 20th century. Its long range and powerful striking capabilities made it a key part of the Cold War.
China's second-generation missiles mainly include Dongfeng-3 and Dongfeng-4. They were all developed in the 60s, with the DF-3 having a range of between 2,800 and 3,000 km and entering service in the 70s; The range of the Dongfeng-4 reached 4000 km and entered service at the end of the 70s. They all belong to medium-range ballistic missiles, which are the heavy weapons of China's national defense during this period.
The third-generation missiles were developed and installed in the mid-to-late 80s and 90s of the 20th century, and their performance has been significantly improved. This is due to the application of high technologies such as infrared imaging, millimeter-wave radar, laser, terrain matching and satellite navigation technology to the missile guidance system, which realizes composite guidance and improves the hit accuracy to tens of meters. In addition, the third-generation missile can use a vertical launch device, which has all-round attack, saturation attack and rapid reaction capabilities, and at the same time adopts modular and serial development, and has multi-type and multi-target killing capabilities.
The emergence of third-generation missiles is the result of military needs and technological promotion, and the United States is one of the main countries promoting the development of third-generation missiles after the defeat in the Vietnam War. The third-generation missile operation is based on "surgical" strikes, and the US military has used the third-generation missiles to carry out high-tech strikes in many wars, and has achieved remarkable results.
The most representative third-generation missile of the United States is the Trident II (Trident II) submarine-launched ballistic missile, which is an important part of the US triad of nuclear strike forces.
The BGM-109 cruise missile, also known as the Tomahawk cruise missile, is an all-weather subsonic multipurpose cruise missile manufactured in the United States. This missile is typical of the third generation. The missile is characterized by a long range, a low flight altitude, a certain stealth ability, penetration ability and survivability, and good damage effect, strong versatility, and can be launched from various platforms.
The OTR-23 "OKA" surface-to-surface missile is a short-range surface-to-surface tactical missile developed by the Soviet Union in the 80s, and in the 80s of the 20th century, the strategic thinking of the Soviet army underwent a major change, emphasizing not only a nuclear war, but also a conventional war, and paying special attention to progress.
The ability of artillery to infringe on the policy of depth in conventional warfare. The "Okka" surface-to-surface missile was developed in this setting.
The Topol-M (Topol-M) is part of Russia's land-based intercontinental ballistic missile system with rapid launch capabilities, high accuracy and a multi-warhead system. It is a solid-fueled land-based ballistic missile (Intercontinental Ballistic Missile) (ICBM) designed for long-range (range over 10,000 km) targets. It is part of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces and is used to maintain the country's nuclear deterrent. An upgraded version of this missile system is still being developed in order to maintain its competitiveness in modern missile technology.
Hongqi-9 (HQ-9) is a medium-range air defense missile system developed by China, which belongs to the third generation of missiles. The missile system is one of the main equipment of the air defense forces of the Chinese army and navy, it has a long range, uses advanced radar guidance technology, and has the ability to simultaneously track and strike at multiple targets. Hongqi 9 is mainly used against enemy aircraft, missiles and other air targets. It can be used not only for land air defense, but also on ships for naval air defense operations.
The DF-5 series of ICBMs is China's first generation of ICBMs, which belongs to the category of third-generation missiles and was finalized in the early 80s of the last century, while the DF-5B is an improved version of the series, which was finalized in 2006. The DF-5B adopts more advanced technology and design, which makes it significantly improved in terms of range, accuracy, and maneuverability.
** Missiles (late 90s of the 20th century to early 21st century) emphasize informatization and networking. Compared with the third-generation missile, the first-generation missile has significantly improved its ability to link missiles with the battlefield information system, and the use of satellite navigation inertial composite guidance and dual-mode and multi-mode composite seeker has further enhanced its target recognition and anti-jamming capabilities, and its hitting accuracy has reached the meter level. Through the tactical data link, the two-way communication between the missile, the launch platform and the command center is realized, and it has the ability of cooperative operation and system operation to adapt to the challenges of multi-domain and multi-target.
It is said that the new generation of Columbia class SSBN strategic nuclear submarines planned to be commissioned in 2031 and on combat duty can be equipped with newer submarine-launched missiles to completely replace the previous Ohio-class submarines.
The U.S. "Patriot-3" (Patriot Advanced Capability-3) air defense missile system is a representative of the most advanced air defense missile, and the development of this type of missile improves the interception distance and killing probability of anti-surface tactical ballistic missiles.
The Iskander missile (Iskander missile) is Russia's more representative tactical short-range ballistic missile system, NATO called ISKANDER-M (SS-26 STONE), it uses a more advanced guidance system, short range, but high accuracy, fast speed (more than Mach 6), the missile was born after the collapse of the Soviet Union, NATO's continuous eastward expansion, Russia's security situation is deteriorating in the background.
Russia's latest "Sarmat" (SARMAT) missile, officially numbered RS-28, belongs to the super-heavy intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), NATO nickname, Satan-2, it uses liquid fuel, the maximum range is more than 16,000 kilometers, the use of new inertial guidance, starlight guidance and satellite guidance of the composite guidance mode, with a high degree of strike accuracy. It can carry multiple nuclear warheads (16 warheads of 750,000 tons or 1 warhead of 40 million tons of TNT equivalent), and can fly through the North Pole or even the South Pole to inflict a devastating blow on any target in the world, and is known as the "absolute king" of the missile family. The Russian military says it "can raze the whole country and defeat any defense." Interestingly, it was also born against the backdrop of the NATO siege.
Known as the "aircraft carrier killer", the DF-26 medium and long-range ballistic missile is a nuclear-conventional ballistic missile developed by China with a flexible strike range and a precision guidance system. With a range of more than 4,000km, it has the ability to accurately strike at important targets on land and large and medium-sized ships at sea. In particular, anti-ship is its specialty, and its appearance has made US aircraft carriers no longer dare to show off their might in China's coastal waters!
Dongfeng-41 (DF-41) intercontinental strategic nuclear missile, which undertakes the important task of China's strategic nuclear deterrence, is China's leading intercontinental missile, and it is also one of the latest members of the well-known "Dongfeng Express" family, with a range of more than 10,000 kilometers, can carry multiple nuclear warheads, can hit distant targets, and has strong nuclear deterrence and strike capabilities. Therefore, there is a saying that "Dongfeng Express, the mission must be achieved"!
The development of fifth-generation missiles in the world began around 2010, and due to the different political and military objectives, combat missions, and technical bases of various countries, the technological orientation is diversified. Some countries choose to continue to upgrade and transform along the route of informatization and networking of first-class missiles, while others adopt innovative technologies to develop brand-new missiles. The new missiles include the fifth generation, which is progressively developed, and other more subversive versions. At present, the fifth-generation missile, which is in the development stage, has a tendency to develop in the direction of coordination, systematization, integration, cross-domain, high-speed, multi-use, autonomy, platform, and miniaturization.
The U.S. navy-based "Standard-6" ship-to-air missile system obtains reconnaissance data from early warning aircraft through the "Cooperative Combat Capability" (CEC) data link to conduct over-the-horizon interception. This is precisely the synergistic feature of the fifth-generation missile.
Russia has not yet officially announced or defined a fifth-generation missile. However, Russia has never stopped developing more advanced missile technology, and has introduced some missile systems that are considered to have advanced characteristics, such as the Angard "Avangard" hypersonic missile, which can bypass enemy missile defense systems and deliver high-precision strikes on targets.
Although, at present, the Dongfeng family has not officially announced that it has a fifth-generation missile. However, according to China's ** report, China has successfully developed the fifth-generation air-to-air missile Thunderbolt-21, which uses the latest technology, such as hypersonic gliding warhead and inertial guidance technology, which can shoot down any moving aircraft. It can also be launched within the over-the-horizon range, and the range is not less than 350 kilometers, which is a sharp weapon for Chinese fighters to fight in the sky.
It can be expected that China's missile technology will move to a higher peak. Intelligence, stealth, and high speed will become essential skills. With the continuous deepening of R&D and innovation, and the unswerving protection of China's missile technology, China's missile technology has broad prospects and will continue to lead the world. I believe that in the near future, the new member of our express family, Dongfeng-51, will also be born.
Dongfeng Express, the mission must be achieved!!