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.
The Air Force could conduct an operation like Israel's successful air campaign against Iran's nuclear sites, military leadership and air defenses, but readiness issues would make it risky, airpower experts said. Limited spare parts and training, low mission capable rates and few flying hours would put a drag on USAF's…