DARPA officials reported late Friday that the hypersonic test vehicle-2 (HTV-2) launched April 22 via a Minotaur IV Lite from Vandenberg AFB, Calif., failed to complete its 30-minute glide over the Pacific Ocean. An April 23 DARPA release states that the Minotaur “executed first of its kind energy maneuvers, clamshell payload fairing release, and HTV-2 deployment.” However, the release continues, “Approximately nine minutes into the mission, telemetry assets experienced a loss of signal from the HTV-2.” DARPA has an engineering team reviewing the test data and expects the technical data to “provide insight” into the HTV-2 flight characteristics.
30 Years After Desert Storm: Feb. 26
Feb. 25, 2021
In commemoration of the 30th Anniversary of Operation Desert Storm, Air Force Magazine is posting daily recollections from the six-week war, which expelled Iraq from occupied Kuwait.