Laser lethality of hypersonic vehicles under aero-heating

The thermo-chemical ablation of the carbon-carbon complex material of hypersonic vehicles in the condition of aero-heating and laser ablation respectively and coupled aero-heating with laser ablation were calculated via the engineering calculation method. The numerical results indicate that: the ablation rate was minor with laser ablation only; the ablation rate rose with the laser energy increase; in the condition of aero-heating, laser ablation damage factor of carbon-carbon material for hypersonic vehicles will increase greatly; the aero-heating cumulating effect was not distinct to the coupling ablation of aero-heating and laser ablation.