ACEIZE Tracking the current state of Science and Technology

On April 26, 2010 an article was released by AP News regarding a failed test of a hypersonic glider called the Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle-2. The vehicle was designed by Lockheed Martin. If the test was successful it would have flown from Vanderberg Air Force Base in California to the Kwajalein Atoll, 2500 miles southwest of Hawaii. During this flight it should have reached an altitude of several thousand feet and speeds in excess of 13,000 mph. The flight time would have been about 30 minutes.

The flight may have been successful. However, the military lost track of the glider before it crashed.

The hypersonic glider project is intended to be a rapid response military strike system, able to respond to threats anywhere on the globe at mach 20. It may also be useful for launching small satellites.