Critical design issues for airbreathing hypersonic waverider missiles

Tradeoffs involved in the design of a hydrocarbon-fueled, hypersonic waveri der-based missile were explored. The problem of providing acceptable vehicl e performance in a volume-constrained package was addressed. The specific c ase of a missile constrained to fit within a 0.61 x 0.61 x 4.27 in naval ve rtical launch tube was examined, and a parametric study was performed to de termine the probabilistic boundaries of designing a Mach 6 missile to satis fy the desired mission goal of a 750-km cruising range. All missile designs were assumed to reach cruising altitude and velocity through the use of an external rocket booster. The key design elements investigated are fuel vol ume fraction, engine inlet pressure, the number of scramjet engines, and th e effects of changing the engine mixing and burning efficiencies. Missile d esigns were optimized for steady-state trim conditions at the beginning of cruise using genetic algorithm software. The sensitivities of the modeling assumptions on the performance of the final optimized designs are explained . The overall contribution of the optimized designs along with the predicte d change in performance expected with increased modeling accuracy allows up per performance and range limits to be established. Double-engine designs a re shown to be more promising than single-engine designs for achieving the desired 750-km range, as well as allowing for increased payload.