Integrated Defense and Strike Architecture

The ongoing wars around the world made me think about an Integrated Defense and Strike Architecture (IDSA). The objective of this idea is to develop feasible, low cost and inclusive military architecture. During disputes the fighting countries need to manufacture high amounts of effective ammunition with limited resources. Additionally, this production should not have bottle de-centralized to increase its immunity against enemy attacks and sabotages.

As a person who developed many rocket designs, I opted for liquid fueled guided missile as the main ammunition. Even though, solid-propellant missiles are the de facto standard for military forces over liquid-fueled alternatives; I have counter arguments to support my choice.

The missile shell will be made of extruded aluminum alloy. Which will then be sealed from both ends to form cascaded fuel and oxidizer tanks. LOX tank inside the liquid methane tank. The nose will have the warhead and the rear will accommodate the rocket engine and its guided control electronics. The engine would be pressure fed to eliminate complex turbopumps. The engine and the nozzle would be merged into an aerospike design. The low pressure operation of the rocket and gaseous nature of the fuel will allow the engine to have simpler cooler canals and simpler engine geometry. The aerospike nozzle will enable the engine to generate maximum thrust independent of the altitude. The engine block would be 3d printed using standard plastic extruding printers and then casted on special steel alloy using lost wax casting. This will allow such complex geometry to be produced in large quantities using low tech. Small imperfections inside the design is not a dealbreaker for such a missile.

What I meant by effective ammunition was guided missiles. None guided ammunition requires more projectile to achieve the same effect. Reaching goals with minimal resources require high hit rates. Creating guided missiles using liquid fueled rockets is a lot simpler in my point of view. The missile would be controlled by bleeding fuel from 3 different nozzles around the main aerospike nozzle. This valve controlled system is much simpler and reliable than high torque servo motor controlled counterpart used on solid rockets. The throttleablity of the thrust is also a big bonus for the liquid fuels.

One of the major advantages of a liquid fuel powered rocket is that it allows de-centralized manufacturability using extrusion and lost wax casting and CNC (for the fuel injectors). These parts can be manufactured in small shops around the country. The final missile would then be transported with ease around the country to the front line. Even international shipment of these is way simpler and require much less regulation and precautions while they are not explosive. They are just machined metallic cylinders.

The warhead will house flechettes. Depending on the mission, these flechettes would be made of steel (the same used on the rocket engine) or Tungsten. Tungsten would be used for armor piercing. Flechettes would be dispersed from the head by timed fuses or by a control signal from the guidance system.

The missile I proposed is the main ammunition of this architecture. The rest of the systems were designed to increase the effectiveness of it.

My affection for rockets that work like elevators helped me develop the most critical part of this military architecture. The Vertical Logistics Hub, The Rocket Elevator. The objective of this single stage reusable rocket is to elevate its payload to 80-100 km altitude. This objective allows it to have a larger base and lower aspect ratio. It makes it more stable on the ground and allows it to be launched without a tower. It would use the liquid methane and oxygen like the missile. Though it will have a proper rocket engine with turbopumps. It would have altitude independent aerospike nozzle like the missile.

Once the rocket reaches the desired altitude, it will deploy its payload. The payload can be the missile I explained above. This way of launching the missile, increases its range considerably and complicates its interception. Until the atmosphere gets denser, the missile can travel considerable distance with higher efficiency due to lower ambient pressure. The cost of building, maintaining and operating this launch method is way cheaper and feasible than fighter jet launched alternatives. For the price of a fighter jets, several of these rockets can be developed. Its propellant, natural gas and oxygen is easy to source around the country (many countries have extensive natural gas pipelines around the country, but none have jet fuel pipeline). The rocket can be controlled by almost anyone whereas fighter jets require highly trained pilots. Fighter jets need to be close to the front line and more susceptible to enemy fire. The rocket elevator I propose can be launched way behind the front line and its very high altitude requires very expensive missiles to intercept.

The second type of payload that would be deployed by the rocket is relay and guidance balloons. Once the rocket gets close to its target altitude, it will inflate these balloons with hydrogen gas. The balloons will have small liquid nitrogen canisters to be used as cold gas thrusters. In the vacuum of the space, these balloons will travel to their desired destinations with minimal drag induced by the atmosphere. The objective of these balloons would be to be used as communication relays for the ground and aerial units. They will also provide visual information from high altitude. Additionally, they will guide the missiles I proposed using laser or similar systems from up in the sky. Their fast and low cost deployment will allow a swarm of them to cover a strategic area rapidly and at low cost. Any high altitude interception action against them would therefore be an expansive one due to much higher cost of such missiles vs the balloons. Deploying balloons this way would be much safer and allows much larger area coverage.

The third type of payload would be a Rapid-Fire Turret. The objective of this turret is to fire long range projectiles that contain flechettes. These flechettes will be used to form a barrage against the wing of enemy fighters or a salvo of missiles approaching. There is no defense mechanism against a shower of flechettes. As a result, it would be very effective to intercept intense offensive actions. The turret will incorporate active dampening and a recoil-compensation system (utilizing symmetrical momentum or warm-gas thrusters) to keep the Rocket Elevator stable during discharge in microgravity.

This multi-purpose Integrated Defense and Strike Architecture utilize the high-altitude physics and decentralized manufacturing. By requiring minimal advanced technology and utilizing common raw materials, it allows for the rapid scaling of military power while maintaining a superior cost-exchange ratio against conventional high-tech forces.