Hypersonic flow control via the use of off-axis energy deposition: application to the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal missile

Laser energy deposition provides a potential means for supersonic and hypersonic flight control where control surface actuation may not be feasible. While on-axis applications have been noted to provide wave drag reduction, the use of off-axis energy deposition is novel and detailed herein through application to the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal missile, a known hypersonic missile of the Russian Federation Air Force. A transient, three-dimensional computational investigation was conducted to examine the effects of a pulsed, off-axis energy deposition localized upstream of the Kinzhal missile cruising at Mach 6 sea-level conditions. A perfect gas model was utilized for the inviscid and turbulent runs performed in this study. The physics associated with the interaction of the energy discharge with the shock-expansion system of the Kinzhal missile at two off-axis positions is detailed along with effects of the interactions on the side force, drag force, and pitching moment coefficients, respectively. Comparison to MissileDATCOM (v97) was conducted to provide a quantitative measure of control surface actuation to be compared against the computational results.M.S.Includes bibliographical reference