the one armed scissor

You've got less than 2 hours to strike an HVT 9,000 miles away. Who are you going to call? How about the FALCON program? Initiated by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the U.S. Air Force, the program hopes to give the U.S. a global prompt strike capability by using hypersonic sub-orbital vehicles -- autonomous, remotely operated and reusable -- to deliver its payload to targets worldwide.


At the heart of the FALCON program is the HCV, or hypersonic cruise vehicle. Here is an example image of a hypersonic aircraft provided by the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.


Given America's reliance on allied and overseas bases from which military strikes against threat facilities are launched, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the U.S. Air Force have initiated a program to research and develop the technology necessary to rapidly strike (less than 2 hours) targets as far as 9,000 miles from launch platforms located in the United States.

This program, designated FALCON (Force Application and Launch from CONUS) would give the United States a global prompt strike capability by using hypersonic sub-orbital launch platforms to deliver rocket powered sub-munitions to the target area.

At the heart of FALCON is the HCV, or hypersonic cruise vehicle. The HCV will be an autonomous, remotely operated, reusable vehicle that will take off like a conventional aircraft yet will have the speed and cargo capacity to transport 12,000 pounds of cargo (specifically a number of CAVs or cruise missiles) 9,000 miles in less than two hours (Mach 12 or 9,100 mph at sea level).

To achieve these speeds the HCV will utilize air-breathing, supersonic combustion ramjet (scramjet) engines burning liquid hydrogen to push the platform as high up as 40 km. At this point the engines would shut down and the HCV would continue to climb ballistically until it reached an apogee of 60km whereupon it would nose over and glide back into denser air. As the HCV descends, lift would be generated which would enable the HCV to coast towards the target area. Once the vehicle reaches an altitude of 35km or so, the engines would re-ignite, pushing the aircraft back up to 40km, where the cycle would be repeated again.

Much like a stone skipping on the surface of a pond, the HCV would skip across the Earth's upper atmosphere until it reached the target area. By flying in such a manner, the HCV would require far less fuel than would a more conventional craft, which remained under thrust the entire time, which, in turn, would free up more gross aircraft weight for cargo.

Another issue the HCV hopes to avoid is heat buildup caused by atmospheric drag. In traditional aircraft designs, heat buildup caused by atmospheric drag was either absorbed by the aircraft's frame, or transferred, via conduction, into the fuel cells. Both of these systems add additional weight in the form of materials and consumables to the airframe. By spending as much as two thirds of its flying time essentially in space, heat could be radiated directly into space, which again, would shave unnecessary pounds from the HCV's frame that could be used for payload.

The HCV of the FALCON program will have the speed and cargo capacity to transport 12,000 pounds of cargo 9,000 miles in less than two hours.

In addition to the powered HCV, the FALCON team is also working on an un-powered common aero vehicle (CAV) that will be capable of delivering up to 1,000 pounds of munitions or other cargo to targets 3,000 miles away. The primary purpose of the CAV is to provide a near term (2010) response capability to fill the void until the HCV comes on line (which is not expected until 2025). Like the HCV, the CAV will rely on advanced sub-orbital technology and hypervelocity gliding to reach the target area. In addition, the CAV will serve as a test bed and technology demonstrator for the HCV. The CAV would be capable of carrying current precision-guided munitions or cruise missiles.


Driving the CAV will be the third element of the FALCON program, the SLV, or small launch vehicle. THE SLV has two purposes: First, it is expected to serve as the booster needed to push the CAV into the outer atmosphere (50+km) that will enable the CAV to hyper glide to its target; Second, the SLV is expected to serve as a rapid response low cost (less than $5 million per launch) launch platform for placing small payloads (less than 1000 pounds) into a reference orbit (100 miles up).


FALCON HCV: The Skinny
Name:
FALCON HCV

Manufacturer:
DARPA and USAF

Objective:
To rapidly strike (less than 2 hours) targets as far as 9,000 miles from launch platforms located in the United States.

Killer Features:

• Top speed Mach 12
• Range 9,000 miles
• Flight time, 2 hours
• "Flies" in near-space environment (40-60 km up)
• 12,000 pound payload capacity