When falcon hypersonic technology vehicle 2 (HTV-2) flies in the atmosphere for a long time, aerodynamic heating is the main reason of body infrared radiation characteristics. Aerodynamic thermal prediction and heat transfer in complex structures are key points of the research on infrared radiation characteristics. Based on the structure and flight trajectory characteristics of HTV-2-like hypersonic gliders, coupling calculation methods of aerodynamic heat, three-dimensional finite element heat transfer and body infrared radiation for hypersonic gliding vehicles are established in this paper. On the basis of algorithm verification, the infrared radiation characteristics of HTV-2-like hypersonic gliders which fly along the assumed trajectory are calculated. The radiation intensity observed by the infrared detector from the ground in the 70° direction is greater than that from the sky in the -70° direction. The infrared radiation intensity at 3~5 m medium waveband is obviously greater than that of 8~12 m long waveband and 0.4~0.7 m short waveband. Choosing 3~5 m band is more beneficial to detect HTV-2-like hypersonic gliding vehicles.