How to transport military supplies to the battlefield or deep and remote areas in a short time is a huge challenge for any army in the world. A few days ago, the People's Liberation Army Daily broadcast a video of the People's Liberation Army's Tibetan troops practicing drone delivery of hot food to frontline battlefields, triggering widespread heated discussions at home and abroad. Drones can also be used to deliver hot meals, resupply ammunition and transport medical facilities to rescue the wounded. Army officers and soldiers are already proficient in delivering supplies via drones, and the People's Liberation Army may fully roll out this model in the future.
Of course the US military is not convinced by this, and they are also studying a complete remote delivery system. At present, the U.S. Air Force has more than 700 strategic transport aircraft , and its strategic transport power is unmatched by any army in the world. But even so, the US military still feels that its transportation capacity is insufficient, and in the face of a sudden large-scale war, there may be a shortage of supplies. With the progress made by Elon.Musk’s Space X in recyclable rocket technology, the US military has turned its attention to Space
According to a recent report by the US The Drive website, Stephen Lyons, commander of the US Transportation Forces, said that the military is cooperating with Space X to achieve rapid material transfer through the newly developed space technology . Lyons said that the rapid material transportation system developed by Space A C-17 Global Overlord strategic transport aircraft can carry materials to any place in the world.
It is reported that if the US military wants to achieve this goal, it will rely on the recyclable rocket technology developed by Space X. According to research data published by the US military, the average speed of a Falcon-9 rocket that achieves ground-to-ground transportation is about 9,000 miles per hour, which means that a recyclable rocket can indeed transport supplies within an hour. To the other side of the world. In comparison, the C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft currently used by the U.S. military has a maximum carrying capacity of about 82 tons, but it usually only carries less than 60 tons of cargo. Its flight speed is up to 520 miles per hour. The rocket is faster than the strategic The transport plane is at least 18 times faster. From this point of view, if the U.S. military can really use recyclable rocket technology for the transportation of military supplies, it will revolutionize the U.S. military's material transportation speed. In addition, compared with transport aircraft, which are extremely vulnerable platforms, aerospace rockets are undoubtedly more difficult to intercept transport vehicles.
However, the US military’s rocket transportation plan also has many problems and a series of restrictions that may make it a flashy plan. First of all, Musk's Space But this low price is still compared to ordinary space launch activities, and as long as anything related to aerospace, the price will not be cheap. It is reported that the launch price of Space In comparison, even after an 18-hour flight, the total cost of the C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft is only more than 500,000 US dollars, which is about 1% of the price of a rocket launch. In addition, recyclable rockets also require a special recovery platform, which is also a considerable expense.
Secondly, compared with strategic transport aircraft, the internal structure of rockets is not actually that suitable for transporting weapons. The US military can use strategic transport aircraft to transport tanks, armored vehicles , artillery and even helicopters, but these equipment are difficult to stuff into a space rocket. Even if it can be put into a rocket, how to ensure that sophisticated and expensive military equipment is not damaged during the violent flight of a space rocket is another big problem.
Moreover, suborbital flight will also greatly reduce the rocket's available payload and greatly reduce its safety factor. These are issues that the US military has to consider, and any carelessness will lead to serious consequences. In fact, the space shuttle seems to be more suitable for this kind of mission, but due to cost and safety issues, it was retired early. It can be seen that the plan of rocket transportation of supplies is not so suitable.
