Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2

HTV -2 ( Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2) is the prototype of a military maneuverable hypersonic missile, which is to move around with twenty times the speed of sound. It is currently in the research and is an experimental technology support (English Technology Demonstrator ) of the Falcon Project ( Force Application and Launch from Continental United States ) DARPA and USAF. The HTV -2 was built by Lockheed Martin.

Technology

The test vehicle HTV -2 does not have a drive of its own, but is started by means of a three-stage Minotaur 4 Lite rocket on a suborbital trajectory that goes beyond the atmosphere. After reaching the peak height to HTV -2 separated from the last stage of the launch vehicle and occurs at a speed of about Mach 20 in the atmosphere in order to move there in a horizontal flight. In this phase, the missile programmed maneuvers that are registered from various sensors on board and on the ground performs. At the end of the mission of the HTV -2 missile crashes planned into the sea, where a rescue is not provided. The range of HTV -2 is 8000 km.

Missions

A first test flight with HTV -2a on April 22, 2010 by the California Vandenberg Air Force Base to Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific was to demonstrate the durability of the thermal insulation and the aerodynamic control options. However, shortly after the start was lost the contact to the missile.

The second flight HTV -2b was carried out on 11 August 2011 also from Vandenberg Air Force Base, and should include a similar flight profile, the experiences of the first flight were considered. These missiles also lost after about 9 minutes of flight time radio contact and was lost. In April 2012, the DARPA published an investigative report and came to the conclusion that the unexpectedly high detachment of the outer shell of the missile led to an unstable flight and caused the crash.