Energetic capabilities of high-density composite solid propellants containing zirconium or its hydride

A comparative analysis of ballistic efficiency of various propellants containing Al, or Zr, or ZrH$_2$ is performed. The analysis is carried out for compositions including various oxidizers and binders and, when applied to missiles, for different volume and mass characteristics. Replacement of aluminum with zirconium or its hydride is demonstrated to increase the missile velocity (or payload mass) almost for all compositions of composite solid propellants if the ratio of the propellant volume to the mass of the empty structure is smaller than approximately 1.0–1.4 liters/kg.