Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2 (HTV-2)

The DARPA Falcon Project (Force Application and Launch from Continental United States) is a two-part joint project between the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the United States Air Force (USAF) and is part of Prompt Global Strike.

The prototype Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2 (HTV-2) first flew on 22 April 2010; the second test flew 11 August 2011. Both flights ended prematurely.

• Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2 (HTV-2) is a crewless,^[1] experimental rocket glider developed as part of the DARPA Falcon Project capable of flying at 21,000 km/h (13,000 mph).^[2] It is expected to provide the United States of America with the capability striking any target in the world within one hour.^[3

The HTV-2's first flight was launched on 22 April 2010.

• The HTV-2 glider was to fly 4,800 miles (7,700 km) across the Pacific to Kwajalein at Mach 20.^[6] The HTV-2 was boosted by a Minotaur IV Lite rocket launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.
• The flight plan called for the craft to separate from the launch vehicle, level out, and glide above the Pacific at Mach 20. Contact had been lost with the vehicle nine minutes into the 30-minute mission.

A second flight was initially scheduled to be launched on August 10, 2011, but bad weather forced a delay.^[10] The flight was launched the following day, on 11 August 2011. The unmanned Falcon HTV-2 successfully separated from the booster and entered the mission's glide phase, but again lost contact with control about nine minutes into its planned 30-minute Mach 20 glide flight. Initial reports indicated it purposely impacted the Pacific Ocean along its planned flight path as a safety precaution