With the successful completion of the recent tests, the Army is slated to deploy the first battery of LHRW by the end of FY2025.
Over the past several years, hypersonic missiles have become the new cutting-edge military technology with all the major players: China, Russia, and the United States are investing heavily in their design and development. While most examples of these weapons are air-launched variants, like the Russian Kh-47M2 Khinzal which has seen use in Ukraine, the U.S. Army has been working away at a land-based Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LHRW).
Two weeks ago, the Army officially designated this system, the Dark Eagle, around the same time another successful test launch was carried out from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. This marks yet another successful test. Last year, a test launch in Kauai, Hawaii saw the missile travel over 2,000 miles and land near the Marshall Islands. Last December at Cape Canaveral, the Army performed a test launch from a Transporter-Erector Launcher, the vehicle-based launch platform for the LHRW. “Hypersonic weapons will complicate adversaries’ decision calculus, strengthening deterrence,” said the senior official performing the duties of the assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics, and technology. “Their speed, accuracy and versatility are befitting its new popular name, Dark Eagle.”
What We Know About the Dark Eagle
An LHRW battery is composed of several trucks and trailers, each carrying two missiles, along with a command vehicle. The missiles themselves are made up of Common Hypersonic Glide Bodies (C-HGBs) launched by solid rocket boosters. Once the missile has reached the appropriate altitude and airspeed, the booster separates from the C-HRB which glides down at Mach 5.0 (times the speed of sound) toward the target. The C-HGB has been in development for some time, with the U.S. Navy leading the effort beginning in 2018. The Army’s Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office contributed to the work as the Army had been experimenting with hypersonic technologies since the 2010s.
Although the system is designed for the Army, the Navy has been closely involved in order to produce a common body it can purchase for deployment on ships and submarines. In addition to the C-HGB, the Navy has taken the lead in developing the solid-fuel rocket motor and second-stage booster. These systems were successfully tested in 2020 and 2021, paving the way for the more substantial test launches of recent years.
When Will the Dark Eagle Reach Operational Capacity?
With the successful completion of the recent tests, the Army is slated to deploy the first battery of LHRW by the end of FY2025. Currently, Bravo Battery, 5th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery is already working with the technology and last year participated in Exercise Resolute Hunter 24-2 at Naval Air Station Fallon. While the exact deployment of the LHRW battery isn’t finalized, it’s likely to be assigned to the Indo-Pacific with the 1st Multi-Domain Task Force at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington.
About the Author: Maya Carlin
Maya Carlin, National Security Writer with The National Interest, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin. Carlin has over 1,000 articles published over the last several years on various defense issues.
Image: DVIDS.
