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Darpa to start testing aircraft that can go to plaid

brainhulk

brainhulk

Diamond Member
http://www.space.com/12601-darpa-falcon-hypersonic-aircraft-launch-test-htv-2.html

DARPA will launch the second flight test of an unmanned hypersonic glider Thursday (Aug. 11) to test technologies needed for a new global strike bomber concept designed to fly 20 times the speed of sound.

The ultra-fast vehicle, called the Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2, is slated to launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California atop a Minotaur 4 rocket after a one-day delay due to bad weather. Liftoff is set for sometime between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. PDT (10 a.m to 4 p.m. EDT).

Mach 20, or 20 times the speed of sound, varies depending on elevation and air temperature, but the Falcon will be traveling in excess of 13,000 mph. At that speed, it could travel from New York to Los Angeles in less than 12 minutes, and friction with the air can heat it up to 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit.
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err, is it actually traveling at that speed or is it flying up to edge of space and wait for earth to turn?

never mind, speed varies depending on alt and temp. So it is within the air envelope. The gliding bit threw me off.
 
sdifox said:
err, is it actually traveling at that speed or is it flying up to edge of space and wait for earth to turn?

never mind, speed varies depending on alt and temp. So it is within the air envelope. The gliding bit threw me off.
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At Mach 20 you would drop velocity very quickly without constant thrust.
 
sdifox said:
err, is it actually traveling at that speed or is it flying up to edge of space and wait for earth to turn?

never mind, speed varies depending on alt and temp. So it is within the air envelope. The gliding bit threw me off.
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It's traveling in the atmosphere. I was at a conference last week where they were talking about these vehicles, pretty cool stuff.
 
brainhulk said:
so if you switch from missles to guns, you'll outrun your bullets 😛
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Missiles don't travel at Mach 20 either dude.

But for reference... never, ever try to spit into the wind. 🙁

Kind of reminds when of when I played Bad Company 2 and was standing in the gunner spot on the blackhawk thinking it would be smart to try to throw a grenade out the door...
 
unless you're close to going the speed of light, wouldnt the speed of the plane add to the speed of the bullet (or missile) making it go yet faster? but i suppose it wouldn't matter because the air friction would instantly vaporize it eh?

though i'm guessing if it is compensating for that temperature, it's using something which would prevent it from firing anything at all, lest the heat get past the protection and cause the inside of the plane to melt.

it's cool tech, anyways!
 
Apparently it really HAS gone to plaid!

Contact lost with hypersonic glider after launch

LOS ANGELES (AP) — An unmanned hypersonic glider developed for U.S. defense research into super-fast global strike capability was launched atop a rocket early Thursday but contact was lost after the experimental craft began flying on its own, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency said.

There was no immediate information on how much of the mission's goals were achieved.

It was the second of two planned flights of a Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle-2. Contact was also lost during the first mission.

The small craft is part of a U.S. military initiative to develop technology to respond to threats at 20 times the speed of sound or greater, reaching any part of the globe in an hour.

The HTV-2 is designed to be launched to the edge of space, separate from its booster and maneuver through the atmosphere at 13,000 mph (21,000 kph) before intentionally crashing into the ocean.

The agency said the launch of the Minotaur 4 rocket was successful and separation was confirmed. It next reported that telemetry had been lost.

No further details were immediately reported. There was no immediate response to an email request to DARPA for information on the mission.

The HTV-2 is intended to put theory, simulations and wind tunnel experience to the test in real flight conditions at speeds producing temperatures in the thousands of degrees and requiring extremely fast control systems, according to DARPA.

The first HTV-2 was launched on April 22, 2010. It returned nine minutes of data, including 139 seconds of aerodynamic data at speeds between 17 and 22 times the speed of sound, DARPA said.
That craft detected an anomaly, aborted its flight and plunged into the ocean, the agency said.
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Colonel Sandurz: Try here. Stop.
Dark Helmet: What the hell am I looking at? When does this happen in the movie?
Colonel Sandurz: Now. You're looking at now, sir. Everything that happens now, is happening now.
Dark Helmet: What happened to then?
Colonel Sandurz: We passed then.
Dark Helmet: When?
Colonel Sandurz: Just now. We're at now now.
Dark Helmet: Go back to then.
Colonel Sandurz: When?
Dark Helmet: Now.
Colonel Sandurz: Now?
Dark Helmet: Now.
Colonel Sandurz: I can't.
Dark Helmet: Why?
Colonel Sandurz: We missed it.
Dark Helmet: When?
Colonel Sandurz: Just now.
Dark Helmet: When will then be now?
Colonel Sandurz: Soon.
Dark Helmet: How soon?
 
SagaLore said:
If there is a malfunction and that thing hits the ground at that speed...
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Just a guess, but in the case of a malfunction I think its terminal velocity will be a little lower than Mach 20. Especially as it falls lower into the atmosphere.
 
Either it went so fast that it squeezed spacetime to a point where it went plaid and ended up instantaneously reappearing 400 million miles away, or it shattered/melted as it got up to speed.

Or some engineering messed up with wiring up the radios.
 
so... they're putting this thing on top of an icbm to figure out if it can be anywhere in the world within an hour? it's on an icbm. of course it can.

wtf are we even testing here?
 
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