What you need to know: The U.S. Army has successfully tested the long-range hypersonic weapon known as the Dark Eagle, a ground-launched hypersonic missile designed to counter threats such as China’s anti-access/area denial strategies.
The details: During the test, the missile flew over 3,000 kilometers, exceeding its reported range of 2,775 kilometers. Dark Eagle uses a two-stage rocket booster to carry the Common Hypersonic Glide Body (C-HGB), which then glides at speeds in excess of Mach 5.
Conclusion: Despite initial challenges, the weapon system is now close to production and the first operational battery is expected by 2025.
Hypersonic missile Dark Eagle: US Army’s new superweapon almost ready for use
The US Army recently completed a successful end-to-end flight test of its upcoming ground-based hypersonic missile, known as the Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon or, even more threatening, Dark EagleThe weapon was fired from the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Kauai, Hawaii, and flew in what is known as an “all-up round” configuration, meaning the missile is already in a nearly operational state.
Dark Eagle is a truck-launched missile system consisting of a two-stage rocket booster developed by Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman designed to boost the Navy’s Common Hypersonic Glide Body (C-HGB) to sufficient speed and altitude. Once airborne, the C-HGB separates from its booster and begins a high-speed glide toward its target, maintaining speeds in excess of Mach 5 while maneuvering. This combination of speed and unpredictability makes intercepting such a weapon nearly impossible with most current air defense systems.
The Congressional Research Service reports that the Dark Eagle missile system has a range of 2,775 kilometers and a top speed well over Mach 5, and is capable of overcoming adversaries’ “anti-access/area-denial capabilities.” This is a direct reference to China’s defense strategy in the Pacific, which is based on long-range weapons systems that allow China to keep American warships and aircraft carriers at bay, allowing the country to claim full sovereignty over the entire South China Sea and beyond.
Interestingly, despite a reported range of 1,725 miles, the Army has admitted that the all-round strike test, which took place on June 28, had a range of approximately 2,000 miles from its launch site in Hawaii to its impact point at a test site in the Marshall Islands.
The C-HGB also serves as the HGV base for the Navy’s ship-based Intermediate-Range Conventional Prompt Strike weapon (IRCPS), which would function similarly but is intended for use aboard the Navy’s stealthy Zumwalt-class destroyers.
Hypersonic glide vehicles are one of two classes of modern hypersonic weapons and the only type currently believed to be in service with any country. China has a similar weapon in service, the DF-ZF, carried by the DF-17 medium-range missile intended for anti-ship use, while Russia’s nuclear Avangard HGV is planned to be launched by the country’s newest intercontinental ballistic missile, the RS-28 Sarmat.
The other type of modern hypersonic weapon, hypersonic cruise missiles, fly with exotic propulsion systems such as scramjets. While several such weapons are in development and Russia even claims to have one in service, evidence suggests that no HCMs have yet entered operational use.
Dark Eagle faced a number of challenges in early testing, including a number of booster failures and issues related to the launch vehicle provided by Lockheed Martin – but notably, most of the problems seemed to be related to the supporting systems rather than the C-HGB itself. This is reminiscent of the challenges the US Air Force is facing in testing another hypersonic glide missile, the AGM-183A ARRW, which still has an uncertain future due to its protracted testing difficulties.
Dark Eagle and its C-HGB, on the other hand, could now be headed for active service, as the Army has previously stated that the weapon system is ready for production, assuming it successfully completes all flight tests. Army officials have stated that the first true production-grade weapon could be delivered within just six weeks of the missile’s proving, with the first battery of eight missiles expected to arrive within 11 months.
Once operational, the U.S. Army’s Dark Eagle batteries will consist of four Transporter Erector Launchers on modified M870A4 trailers, with each launcher capable of holding two missiles, for a total of eight per battery. Two additional vehicles – a Battery Operations Center (BOC) for command and control and a BOC support vehicle – will handle the remaining launch-related tasks.
The 5th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington is scheduled to field the first Dark Eagle battery once it is operational, which the Army projects will be in 2025.
About the author: Alex Hollings
Alex Hollings is a writer, father and Marine veteran.
This article was first published by Sandboxx News.
