Watch Live: Congressional Hearing on IRS Scandal

Live Now on TheBlaze Radio: ‘The Buck Sexton Show’

Technology

Update: Defense Company Loses Contact With Hypersonic Jet

Aug. 11, 2011 1:04pm Jonathon M. Seidl

LOS ANGELES (The Blaze/AP) — Yesterday, we brought you the story of the unmanned hypersonic glider developed for U.S. defense research with the potential for super-fast global strike capability. It was launched atop a rocket early Thursday. But now, we learn that the defense company behind the plane has lost contact with it.

(Read our original story and watch the videos)

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency confirmed it is no longer in contact with the glider. 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 before intentionally crashing into the ocean.

DARPA used Twitter to announce the launch and status of the flight.

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.

In CONTROL, Glenn Beck presents a passionate, fact-based case for guns that reveals why gun control isn’t really about controlling guns at all; it’s about controlling us. Find out more HERE.

Back to The Blaze »

Comments (123)

RVing-Patriot
Posted on August 11, 2011 at 1:35pm
Too bad. I can think of a few people it could drop on.

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- smithclar3nc3
  Posted on August 11, 2011 at 1:51pm
  Did it ever really exist because all the images they have shown of it were computer generated images.
  
  Report this comment
- ScreaminEagle
  Posted on August 11, 2011 at 1:52pm
  It’s in my back yard. Who do I sue for damages?
  
  Report this comment
- DarkFire
  Posted on August 11, 2011 at 2:35pm
  test flight = delivering it to china, it is not missing it is theirs, they bought it, they paid for it, and now they will use it aginst us!
  
  Report this comment
- jnobfan
  Posted on August 11, 2011 at 2:39pm
  Its a waste of time. The first shots in the next major war will be shot in space. If we knockout their GPS they surrender – if they knockout ours we surrender. Oh I forgot we don’t have a space program anymore. Sorry never mind
  
  Report this comment
- PatriotComeLately
  Posted on August 11, 2011 at 2:56pm
  Chinese satellite with tractor beam captured it so that they can reverse engineer
  
  Report this comment
- tcharleyd
  Posted on August 11, 2011 at 3:05pm
  Wouldnt want to show too many pictures, you do have to protect your technology after all
  
  Report this comment
- jb.kibs
  Posted on August 11, 2011 at 3:53pm
  It never existed. were there even any real life images of it? even in hanger? i didn’t find any… only CGI images.
  
  Report this comment
- dr_funk
  Posted on August 11, 2011 at 4:52pm
  smithclar3nc3, what the hell are they gonna do, send a second rocket up with a cameraman on board? Are you stupid???
  
  Report this comment
- dr_funk
  Posted on August 11, 2011 at 5:04pm
  Man, there are some real nuts on here. It never existed? Are you people out of your minds? There’s footage of the rocket lifting off.
  
  Quit going to all the “moon landing was faked” sites…its starting to screw with your perceptions of reality.
  
  Report this comment
- Bum thrower
  Posted on August 11, 2011 at 5:33pm
  Yea; Congress has lost contact with reality, too, and is living in the land of OZ!!!
  
  Report this comment
- VegasGuy
  Posted on August 11, 2011 at 7:28pm
  This story line reeks of disinformation. I’ll bet it was a roaring success.
  
  Report this comment
- avenger
  Posted on August 11, 2011 at 7:49pm
  hmmm.loaded with a nuke and going for iran…
  
  Report this comment
- Ruler4You
  Posted on August 11, 2011 at 9:22pm
  They probably lost it when it went behind Mars, due to a ’rounding’ error caused by their “Intel” processor and confusing imperial and metric systems of quantification of distance and consumption based on concepts still only unproven theories of sophomoric intern drug induced hallucination.
  
  Don’t worry though, it has a fail safe that always brings it home when it gets hungry.
  
  Report this comment
- Pujols
  Posted on August 12, 2011 at 11:29am
  Of course they lost it. It goes 13,000 miles an hour and it’s not going to the moon or outer space.
  
  Watch out for China. Theirs is still coming down on track. BTW, Obama is a Nightmear.
  He’s the nightmear so many tried to warn you of back in 2008. The Chinese are being
  more of Capitalist than we are. They are proof that it works. The Libs are proof Socialisum
  doesn’t work. Obamas plains are a nightmear. Can you see it yet? OPEN EYES!
  
  Report this comment
Charbet
Posted on August 11, 2011 at 1:34pm
Super-Repo Man from China strikes again..

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- NotFooled
  Posted on August 11, 2011 at 1:51pm
  LMAO!! Wouldn’t surprise me.
  
  Report this comment
lylejk
Posted on August 11, 2011 at 1:33pm
Yup; now another one of our toys that the Chinese will eventually get its hands on. Idiots these guys are that are running our high tech experiments. Let’s hope for all our sakes that this device blew up in the atmosphere or went so fast that it entered into another dimension. ;)

:)

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- ninjapiratekris
  Posted on August 11, 2011 at 7:31pm
  Well it only needs to hit 88mph to go back in time.
  
  Report this comment
randy
Posted on August 11, 2011 at 1:33pm
Don’t believe this, whaddya wanna bet it landed in ChIna? :)

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- HD Veteran
  Posted on August 11, 2011 at 1:37pm
  Or maybe… this is to throw off the Chinese, make them use resources in the search for a non-missing glider….
  
  Report this comment
aaronkcmo
Posted on August 11, 2011 at 1:31pm
At least we still know that the USA is the only country in the world that can afford to spend tens of millions of dollars on developing technology. There is absolutely no defense system capable of neutralizing a hypersonic projectile.

I sleep better at night knowing that DARPA is flying on the very cutting edge of flight and next-gen weaponry, AND the best that China can do is buy second-hand warships and fly planes that are already obsolete when they are created/bought.

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- Truthbeliever2
  Posted on August 11, 2011 at 2:17pm
  The U.S. Is probably just working out all the bugs for the coming world police.
  
  Report this comment
- TwinShadow
  Posted on August 11, 2011 at 3:07pm
  @Truthbeliever2
  There is only limited protections when you’re on the internet. Freedom of Speech is not well-protected on some sites, or at all, due to concerns. The first amendment was intended for a type of verbal speech, protests, and other various things covered in it.
  
  Report this comment
- thx1138v2
  Posted on August 11, 2011 at 3:19pm
  Unless, of course, they destroy it before it goes hyper-sonic. If it’s sitting atop a missle in a silo it is a sitting duck. Being launched from a rocket makes it suceptible to interception. Even if the rocket is on a train, plane or submarine it is going to take some time to get up to speed.
  
  And then there are all those nasty particle beam weapons that essentially travel at the speed of light.
  
  Go ahead. Go back to sleep.
  
  Report this comment
- TulsaYeeHaw
  Posted on August 12, 2011 at 12:08am
  I want to develop a lightsaber and go impress women with it.
  
  Report this comment
wewantchillywilly
Posted on August 11, 2011 at 1:31pm
so that’s what landed in my pool

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
Secessionista
Posted on August 11, 2011 at 1:30pm
In this case, I am FOR increasing the unemployment rate.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
N37BU6
Posted on August 11, 2011 at 1:30pm
Called it.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
AIDANMAN
Posted on August 11, 2011 at 1:29pm
no it went to china, its the cover story for all us rubes…

the chinese will dump it some where later

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
AnAmerican111
Posted on August 11, 2011 at 1:29pm
Don’t worry! Chinese found it and are sending the payoff to OBUMA!

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
308Hammer
Posted on August 11, 2011 at 1:28pm
oops

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
Karlsan
Posted on August 11, 2011 at 1:25pm
I lost my RC airplane one time. Had to climb four or five fences to get it. Maybe these folks should look in Jimmy’s backyard, that’s where mine was.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
mntwins
Posted on August 11, 2011 at 1:24pm
Now where did I put that multi-million dollar hypersonic jet? I could have sworn I left it in the garage. Oh well, I just build a new one. We have plenty of money for that…..right?

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- My Two Cents
  Posted on August 11, 2011 at 1:47pm
  They are ******* away ENCINOM’s lunch money.
  
  Report this comment
dfmcse
Posted on August 11, 2011 at 1:24pm
I’m thinking it entered a wormhole and is now in the Delta Quadrant.

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- hifi74
  Posted on August 11, 2011 at 1:39pm
  Heh, I loved that show. Still watch episodes on Netflix from
  Time to time
  
  Report this comment
- SacredHonor1776
  Posted on August 11, 2011 at 2:16pm
  In a few centuries it will come back partially repaired, and think its orders is to detroy man…
  
  Report this comment
Rogue
Posted on August 11, 2011 at 1:24pm
If the adminstration is involved, we may see a big mushroom cloud over Tel Aviv soon.

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- AIDANMAN
  Posted on August 11, 2011 at 1:30pm
  you mean somewhere over isreal? they support iran
  
  Report this comment
- Guy on internet
  Posted on August 12, 2011 at 1:04am
  @AIDANMAN: Tel Aviv is in Israel, brainiac.
  
  Report this comment
Gonzo
Posted on August 11, 2011 at 1:23pm
Let me guess, the Taliban shot it down?

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
tmplarnite
Posted on August 11, 2011 at 1:22pm
How, the hell does the Gov’t dip switches lose contact with a plane in the atmosphere?????? We can talk to probe on mars and you can’t talk to plane “IN” the atmosphere…”twice”…Idiots…Our government is run by idiots!!!!!

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- thx1138v2
  Posted on August 11, 2011 at 3:28pm
  They can’t communicate with it because of the same problem they ran into with the Challenger space shuttle. Do you have any idea how much friction is caused by something moving through the air a Mach 20?
  
  The SR-71 Blackbird “only” flew at Mach 3+ and the most noticable thing about it before a flight was all of the fuel leaking out onto the ground. They had to fly it to heat it up enough with friction against the air to get the fuel tanks to expand and seal. If the tanks were sealed on the ground they would burst from the expansion caused by friction heat.
  
  Report this comment
- tmplarnite
  Posted on August 12, 2011 at 6:33pm
  Really, you prove my point…idiots……………Excuses…excuses…they are the experts and/or they have the expertise or should…if not get it…first… if not…wait before you waste the $Billions in planes…I repeat….stupid arrogant ignorant idiots!
  
  Report this comment
olderjarhead
Posted on August 11, 2011 at 1:20pm
Don’t buy into the misinformation. I’m sure it was a 100% success. Maybe the PHD homeless guy could have saved it!

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
JohnK144
Posted on August 11, 2011 at 1:17pm
I’m sure obama had the thing sent straight to the Chinese in exchange for a meager campaign contribution.

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- vennoye
  Posted on August 11, 2011 at 1:28pm
  Additional interest on the debt.
  
  Report this comment
Anonymous T. Irrelevant
Posted on August 11, 2011 at 1:16pm
Nowhere near China, Russia, or Iran, I hope.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
HTuttle
Posted on August 11, 2011 at 1:13pm
Good GOD! I certainly hope they are reassuring any Muslim scientists involved in this that it’s NOT THEIR FAULT!

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- SimpleTruths
  Posted on August 11, 2011 at 1:17pm
  Bigot much?
  
  Report this comment
- HTuttle
  Posted on August 11, 2011 at 1:20pm
  Ask NASA.
  
  Report this comment
- randy
  Posted on August 11, 2011 at 1:35pm
  @ SIMPLETRUTHS The bigot crap really is getting old a$$wipe
  
  Report this comment
trolltrainer
Posted on August 11, 2011 at 1:12pm
whoopsie…

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
nysparkie
Posted on August 11, 2011 at 1:11pm
That was a “GOOD”? idea while it lasted. How much money just “Disappeared?”

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
caexpat
Posted on August 11, 2011 at 1:11pm
Where is Waldo?…

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
Sargon
Posted on August 11, 2011 at 1:09pm
It’s probably flying around the moon right now.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply

It appears that you have Javascript Disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser preferences for a better user experience on TheBlaze. You can not comment without Javascript enabled.