Pentagon releases results of 13,000-mph test flight over Pacific

[n2doc]

The results are in from last summer’s attempt to test new technology that would provide the Pentagon with a lightning-fast vehicle, capable of delivering a military strike anywhere in the world in less than an hour.

In August the Pentagon's research arm, known as the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, carried out a test flight of an experimental aircraft capable of traveling at 20 times the speed of sound.

The arrowhead-shaped unmanned aircraft, dubbed Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2, blasted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base, northwest of Santa Barbara, into the upper reaches of the Earth's atmosphere aboard an eight-story Minotaur IV rocket made by Orbital Sciences Corp.

After reaching an undisclosed altitude, the aircraft jettisoned from its protective cover atop the rocket, then nose-dived back toward Earth, leveled out and glided above the Pacific at 20 times the speed of sound, or Mach 20.

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http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-darpa-hypersonic-missile-20120420,0,4564567.story

[Scuba]

1. Doncha feel safer already? No?

[postulater]

2. But how many mpgs does it get?

What a waste.

[RobertEarl]

3. My what a fast rocket you have

The better to kill you with, my dear.

[Stinky The Clown]

4. I think that's very cool

Its called research and the payoff is may years into the future.

[leveymg]

5. They've been testing these things for 50 years.

Last edited Mon Apr 23, 2012, 08:36 AM - Edit history (2)

Hard to believe something like this didn't become operational a long time ago. Google: Dynasoar



Google: D-21 Drone Tagboard; also, Kingfisher