DARPA releases video of HTV-2 second test flight

The first - and perhaps only - video footage of the ill-fated second test-flight of DARPA's Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2 (HTV-2) has been released. Shot with a handheld camera by a crewmember aboard the Pacific Tracker, the first monitoring vessel able to visually track the HTV's initial entry into the atmosphere, the video shows the HTV-2 hurtling across the sky on August 11 at Mach 20 before its "controlled descent" into the Pacific Ocean.

While it would have been nice if DARPA had shelled out a couple of thou on a decent zoom lens or let some photographers tag along on the monitoring vessel, DARPA Director, Regina Dugan says the video, "gives us a visceral feel for what it means to fly at Mach 20."

DARPA released the handheld video alongside a video showing a speed comparison between the HTV-2, a C-5 and an F-18. No surprises for guessing that the HTV-2 leaves the other aircraft in its wake.