Hypersonic weapon detonated after lift-off: US military

Hi all, did a search and couldn't find it up already, apologies if it is.

Being from the UK and not too into military stuff, I haven't heard of this, but perhaps there are those who have.

The weapon is part of the Pentagon's "prompt global strike" program designed to build conventional weapons that could take out targets anywhere on the planet within an hour's notice.

Well, all did not go well apparently...

"Less than four seconds into the lift-off phase, we terminated the flight," Pentagon spokeswoman Maureen Schumann told AFP.

What got me, was on of the comments said something about the US doesn't advertise its failures, which come to think of it, I think is quite true (at least not on the scale other countries do like North Korea).

So my questions to you guys is...

Have you heard of this weapon in development?

Isn't a weapon like this a little over-reaching?

Personally, I'm not quite sure how this goes towards supporting world peace, for two reasons, firstly the creation of such a weapon will surely draw others to follow suit, secondly surely an admission like this will opnly weaken the US position on the world stage from a military standpoint.

Really interested to know what you guys think.

Link to article

a reply to: solargeddon

This is a new COLD WAR against MANY countries.MAD was what we had with the SOVIET UNION ,we abandoned it during ...BUSH Sr.(I think) it's also why we are left untouched nationally.They question our collective sanity evidently.

If they are openly admitting it to it existing and failing in a test flight that means it's one of the weaker cards in their hand. I don't think it weakens the military considering they are still leaps and bounds ahead of the game.

I never heard of it, but I found this:
en.wikipedia.org...

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.[1] One part of the program aims to develop a reusable, rapid-strike Hypersonic Weapon System (HWS), now retitled the Hypersonic Cruise Vehicle (HCV), and the other is for the development of a launch system capable of accelerating an HCV to cruise speeds, as well as launching small satellites into earth orbit. This two-part program was announced in 2003 and continued into 2006.[2]

Blackswift was a project announced under the Falcon banner using a fighter-sized unmanned aircraft which would take off from a runway and accelerate to Mach 6 before completing its mission and landing again. The memo of understanding between DARPA and the USAF on Blackswift—also known as the HTV-3X—was signed in September 2007. The Blackswift HTV-3X did not receive needed funding and was canceled in October 2008.[3]

Current research under FALCON program is centered on X-41 Common Aero Vehicle (CAV), a common aerial platform for hypersonic ICBMs and cruise missiles, as well as civilian RLVs and ELVs. 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.

Maybe it's what they want us or other govs to think when in reality the boys up there ready to go

a reply to: tetra50


Interesting, I wonder if there were any mainstream reports of those tests failing?

One of the reasons I could imagine that we (the USA), would want such a weapon, is that a weapon traveling that fast, is incredibly difficult to shoot down.
Also, with the many different Terrorist organizations, finding the leaders, and striking while they are still at the place we located them proves to be difficult at times due to the short period of time they stay in certain places.
Imagine that we have located a dozen Terrorist leaders, at a meeting in a building. The time it may take to launch Jet Fighters, or Drones to the area may be too long, and the meeting will be long over before they get there.
Remember the movie Stealth?
Now, 1 hr to anywhere in the world, could actually mean 15 minutes or less if the weapon is closer.
It would seem to me to be a ace in the sleeve, in a high risk poker game.
Also, if Russia knows that if they launch, we detect it, and launch in retaliation, our Birds will hit them before their birds get to us.
We are close to this situation now. But I find my earlier reasonings to be more reasonable in my wanting such a weapon.
It would clearly dictate that with on the ground Intel, we could nail these perps without constantly having a dozen or so drones circling overhead and or Fighter Jets.
Our Embassy attack in Benghazi comes to mind. Send in a ultra fast Cruise Missle. Not that our POS Potus we have now would have, he was more interested in covering up his transporting weapons to ISIS in Syria. Look how that has paid off...


a reply to: solargeddon

originally posted by: Thefarmer
Maybe it's what they want us or other govs to think when in reality the boys up there ready to go

I'm sure you can bet we don't get the full story, and what we got is being spun to create some kind of reaction. Pretty standard, that protocol….

originally posted by: solargeddon
a reply to: tetra50


Interesting, I wonder if there were any mainstream reports of those tests failing?

well, wiki's pretty mainstream, though not news. I think The Farmer had a good point.
tetra

Almost all the hypersonic flights were considered failures, and were announced as such when they happened.

As for this weapon, other countries have hypersonic missiles in development, so the US is not alone. Most are antiship missiles, but they're still hypersonic.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
Almost all the hypersonic flights were considered failures, and were announced as such when they happened.

As for this weapon, other countries have hypersonic missiles in development, so the US is not alone. Most are antiship missiles, but they're still hypersonic.

So there have been other hypersonic flight tests in the US that are common knowledge (declared in mainstream news..CNN etc) in the past?

I just find it strange that this should become news now more importantly why this isn't just kept as domestic news?

originally posted by: tetra50

originally posted by: solargeddon
a reply to: tetra50


Interesting, I wonder if there were any mainstream reports of those tests failing?

well, wiki's pretty mainstream, though not news. I think The Farmer had a good point.
tetra

I think you're right...not sure about the wiki part, everything gets written up on there, but lets face it, unless you were looking for it, it's unlikely you would find it, this is in your face mainstream news I am talking about (emoticon not an actual representation on my face)

makes me wonder why with the recent talk about hyper fast black projects that this missile should WORK not blow up... if a manned hyperfast exists this should be a cakewalk?

a reply to: solargeddon

There were at least 8 or 10 flights between two platforms that were all covered by everyone from Wired to CNN, and everyone in between.

cosmiclog.nbcnews.com...

security.blogs.cnn.com...

mobile.theverge.com...

a reply to: Perfect stranger

Because regardless of how easy it looks, hypersonic flight is not just a matter of a bigger engine to go faster. There are much more intense heat and stress factors to take into consideration.

There's not currently a true manned hypersonic platform out there. That's because it is do hard to do consistently.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Oh, that's good, just checking, as it is the first time I have heard of it.

I don't suppose you have any linky's to one of them to hand?

I can't find any on the first page of google that don't relate to todays one.

a reply to: solargeddon

See my edit.

META materials should change the heat issue as they come online.

Was a rocket failure not the hypersonic vehicle that failed. They use old ICBM ' for these tests. Makes you wonder how many of our old arsenal would have failed if US and USSR had ever exchanged nukes back before the 90's.

Wonder if its going to be apart of the U.S military full spectrum dominance plan.