US Army destroyed experimental test of its Advanced Hypersonic weapon for public safety

The U.S. Army on 25 August 2014 destroyed Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2 during a test launch at its remote Kodiak Launch Complex in Alaska. The termination was done to ensure public safety.

The advanced hypersonic weapon, named Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2 (HTV-2), is a DARPA project that has been in testing for nearly five years.

It was developed by Sandia National Laboratory, a Lockheed Martin subsidiary, and the U.S. Army as part of the military’s Conventional Prompt Global Strike technology development program. The program aimed to build a weapon that can destroy targets anywhere on Earth within one hour.

Falcon HTV-2

Falcon HTV-2 is an unmanned, rocket-launched, maneuverable aircraft that glides through the Earth’s atmosphere at incredibly fast speeds i.e.Mach 20 (approximately 13000 miles per hour).

The HTV-2 vehicle is a “data truck” with numerous sensors that collect data in an uncertain operating envelope.

The Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2 (HTV-2) is a multi-year research and development effort to increase the technical knowledge base and advance critical technologies to make long-duration hypersonic flight a reality.