US Hypersonic Weapon Destroyed Just Seconds After Testing Began
Peter Donnell / 10 years ago
The US recently tested their new Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2, a new missile deployment systems that could allow them to strike a target anywhere in the world within one hour, but the initial test flight of the new technology resulted in a self destruct just four seconds after the test began.
Shortly after the US Military developed weapon was fired from a test range in Alaska on Monday morning, the controllers said they detected a problem with the aircraft.
“The craft was destroyed to ensure public safety, and no one was injured in the incident, which occurred shortly after 4 a.m. EDT (0800 GMT) on Monday at the Kodiak Launch Complex in Alaska” said Maureen Schumann, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Defense Department.
“We had to terminate. That’s correct,” Schumann said. “The weapon exploded during takeoff and fell back down in the range complex,” she said, adding that the test craft was destroyed in the first four seconds of its launch. “I don’t know the exact altitude, but it was not very far,” she added.
The technology was developed as a means of hitting strategic targets at significant range without using nuclear weapons, but the missile lost control and exploded shortly after launch, meaning significant set backs for the defense project.
Should it work, the hypersonic glide body design should allow the craft to reach speeds of Mach 5 (3600 mph) as it travels on the edge of the earth’s atmosphere and is just one of several projects being tested as part of the Prompt Global Strike program.
Thank you Telegraph for providing us with this information.
Image courtesy of Telegraph.
