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Pentagon releases results of 13,000-mph test flight over Pacific
LA Times ^ | 4/20/12 | W.J. Hennigan

Posted on 04/21/2012 8:17:26 PM PDT by LibWhacker

The results are in from last summer’s attempt to test new technology that would provide the Pentagon with a lightning-fast vehicle, capable of delivering a military strike anywhere in the world in less than an hour.

In August the Pentagon's research arm, known as the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, carried out a test flight of an experimental aircraft capable of traveling at 20 times the speed of sound.

The arrowhead-shaped unmanned aircraft, dubbed Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2, blasted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base, northwest of Santa Barbara, into the upper reaches of the Earth's atmosphere aboard an eight-story Minotaur IV rocket made by Orbital Sciences Corp.

After reaching an undisclosed altitude, the aircraft jettisoned from its protective cover atop the rocket, then nose-dived back toward Earth, leveled out and glided above the Pacific at 20 times the speed of sound, or Mach 20.

(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: falcon; hypersonic; results; test
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1 posted on 04/21/2012 8:17:28 PM PDT by LibWhacker
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To: LibWhacker
That is simply incredible...We are and will remain at least 20 years ahead of any other nation when it comes to military technology and power...

Now I will wait for the fools to come and claim that the nation of slaves, China, is not only catching us in military technology but ahead of us...LOL...

2 posted on 04/21/2012 8:22:37 PM PDT by jveritas (God bless our brave troops)
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To: jveritas
"Now I will wait for the fools to come and claim that ... China, is not only catching us in military technology but ahead of us...LOL..."

Why would they have to catch us when administrations like the Clintons and Obamas give them our technology?

3 posted on 04/21/2012 8:26:34 PM PDT by Flag_This (Real presidents don't bow.)
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To: LibWhacker

It’s Aurora! LOL


4 posted on 04/21/2012 8:27:19 PM PDT by Bones75
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To: LibWhacker

A hypersonic glider. Pretty cool.


5 posted on 04/21/2012 8:28:20 PM PDT by Army Air Corps (Four Fried Chickens and a Coke)
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To: Flag_This

Clinton supporters Loral had an accident in China that resulted in the “loss” of a guidance chip.

Clinton took money from the daughter of a chinese general.

No one cares, dancing with the stars in on and Republicans are racist anyway.

sigh...


6 posted on 04/21/2012 8:30:59 PM PDT by icwhatudo (Tax codes and spending don't get 14 year olds pregnant and on welfare. Morality Matters.)
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To: jveritas

Buy American.

So it stays that way.


7 posted on 04/21/2012 8:32:35 PM PDT by Cringing Negativism Network (Obama ate his own dog as a child in Indonesia??)
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To: LibWhacker

Soooo...

How soon can we expect to launch one to Iran, and Syria, and Egypt, and Afghanistan, and....


8 posted on 04/21/2012 8:36:41 PM PDT by ROCKLOBSTER (Celebrate Republicans Freed the Slaves Month.)
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To: jveritas

Well that explains the mysterious vapor trails off the California coast that was in the news last year


9 posted on 04/21/2012 8:38:39 PM PDT by stubernx98 (cranky, but reasonable)
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To: Bones75
It’s Aurora! LOL

I wouldn't laugh. We know from long experience that our military's development curve is always decades ahead of the state of the art.

Allow yourself to dream 20 years into the future, and that's the hardware they've got right now.

10 posted on 04/21/2012 8:42:03 PM PDT by Windflier (To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
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To: Flag_This

Oh stop the stupid conspiracy theory... Tell me please how can the President give technologies to a nation without being exposed?


11 posted on 04/21/2012 8:45:14 PM PDT by jveritas (God bless our brave troops)
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To: Windflier

Exactly and we shall keep it as such...


12 posted on 04/21/2012 8:47:11 PM PDT by jveritas (God bless our brave troops)
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To: LibWhacker
That be serious gliding at Mach 20!
13 posted on 04/21/2012 8:50:03 PM PDT by The Cajun (Palin, Free Republic, Mark Levin, Newt......Nuff said.)
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To: LibWhacker

Bump for American dominance of the skies.


14 posted on 04/21/2012 8:51:35 PM PDT by EternalVigilance (Romney's role, if elected, is to consolidate Obama's socialist gains.)
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To: LibWhacker

This is terrifically exciting technology. $300M since 2003? Chump change of the DoD budget, especially compared to its potential.


15 posted on 04/21/2012 8:53:11 PM PDT by EDINVA
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To: jveritas
Exactly and we shall keep it as such...

Amen...USA!

16 posted on 04/21/2012 8:53:48 PM PDT by Windflier (To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
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To: jveritas
"Oh stop the stupid conspiracy theory... Tell me please how can the President give technologies to a nation without being exposed?"

Oh, I don't know... one way might be to transfer oversight of dual-use technology from the State Dept. to the Commerce Dept. like Bill Clinton did in '96, with this result:

According to the GAO, "vulnerabilities in the Dept. of Commerce's deemed export control system could help China and other countries of concern improve their military capabilities.""...in fiscal year 2001 China accounted for over 70% of the 822 export licenses approved by the Commerce Department."
GAO-Commerce Exports Could Help Chinese Military

It probably is just a zany conspiracy theory after all...

17 posted on 04/21/2012 9:00:22 PM PDT by Flag_This (Real presidents don't bow.)
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To: jveritas
It was exposed and thorougly detailed. Tim Russert screamed about it for weeks, even calling it treason, but no one cared.

DOWNSIDE LEGACY AT TWO DEGREES OF PRESIDENT CLINTON SECTION: RED FLAGS OF TREASON SUBSECTION: MISSILE LAUNCH AND GUIDANCE

DOWNSIDE LEGACY AT TWO DEGREES OF PRESIDENT CLINTON SECTION: RED FLAGS OF TREASON SUBSECTION: COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY

Only an idiot would deny that it happened.

18 posted on 04/21/2012 9:02:17 PM PDT by TigersEye (Life is about choices. Your choices. Make good ones.)
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To: jveritas

Given that we seem intent on destroying ourselves, the PRC won’t need to do anything special to surpass us in the long run.


19 posted on 04/21/2012 9:04:18 PM PDT by eclecticEel (Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: 7/4/1776 - 3/21/2010)
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To: TigersEye

The Communist Chinese know that JPL is open for business.

They intend to be well paid for fronting the US this ‘loan.’


20 posted on 04/21/2012 9:05:32 PM PDT by combat_boots (The Lion of Judah cometh. Hallelujah. Gloria Patri, Filio et Spiritui Sancto.)
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