Inside the Air Force's 13,000-MPH Hypersonic Plane
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The second flight of the Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2, developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, is scheduled to launch Wednesday aboard a Minotaur IV Lite rocket. (DARPA)
The early morning launch is the second flight of the 13,000-mph HTV-2 test vehicle, in a test series designed to validate technologies that will enable high-performance, long-duration, and maneuverable hypersonic flight, the military agency said. (DARPA)
An overview of the planned test flight for the HTV-2 vehicle shows the various phases it goes through on its flight. (DARPA)
The HTV-2, seen here in an illustration by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, launches atop an Orbital Sciences Corp. Minotaur IV rocket, which uses decommissioned Peacekeeper intercontinental ballistic missile motors. (DARPA)
The goal of the project is to eventually enable the U.S. military to strike anywhere in the world in less than an hour. (DARPA)
This conceptual image shows DARPA's vision of a hypersonic glider, a cancelled version of the vehicle known as the Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 3X. (DARPA)
The HTV-3X, a somewhat different vision of hypersonic travel from the Defense Advanced Projects agency. (DARPA)
A 2008 presentation by DARPA mapped out the agency's goals for hypersonic flight, including the various "Falcon vehicles": the HTV-2, a next-generation version named the HTV-3X, and the ultimate goal. (DARPA)