Rocket motor specialist Bayern-Chemie, a joint venture of Daimler-Benz Aerospace (DASA) and Thomson-CSF, is investigating a double-pulse rocket motor for the German HFK hypersonic missile programme.
HFK, led jointly by DASA and Bodenseewerk Gerätetechnik (BGT), aims to create a weapons system which has the firepower of a main battle tank, but can be mounted on a jeep. The concept was initially developed as an anti-tank armour penetrator, but the programme has entered a new, three-year, phase examining surface-to-air applications.
Four test launches have taken place since 1995, the most recent including the first test of a side-thrust control system. Bayern-Chemie is working on a new side thruster module for the next flight.
To date, the rocket motor has burned in a single pulse, but Bayern-Chemie is investigating a motor with two separate grains which burn independently, providing two acceleration periods in flight. The HFK missile has been tested over ranges from 500m (1,400ft) to 2km (1nm), accelerating to Mach 5 over 500m, with a peak acceleration of 400G.
BGT and DASA are studying guidance options. The HFK could be guided remotely by a ground-based radar, or by a yet-to-be-developed on-board seeker .
Source: Flight International
