The United States is only weeks away from owning its first fully operational Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) system battery, a new report has said. The project is officially named "Dark Eagle", and its final integration is expected to take no more than a few weeks. During this period, tests of survivability in kinetic, electromagnetic, and cyber-threat environments will be carried out.
The new weapon system is a ground-launched boost-glide hypersonic weapon capable of exceeding Mach 5 speeds (≈ 6,125 km/h). This makes it nearly impossible for conventional missile defence systems to track and intercept.
According to available information, the Pentagon wanted Dark Eagle to be fast-tracked as the world's mightiest military was falling behind China and Russia in the long-range hypersonic weapon game. There was an evident gap, and the US intends to close it as soon as possible.
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Hypersonic glide systems are known for their capability to change direction during flight, making interception significantly harder. They fly within the atmosphere rather than in high ballistic arcs, which reduces the reaction time for air defences.
Each battery of Dark Eagle will operate eight hypersonic missiles, Defence Security Asia said in a report. Each battery consists of four transporter-erector-launchers (TELs), each carrying two all-up-round missiles in sealed canisters. It is supported by a Battery Operations Centre and support vehicles, forming a mobile hypersonic strike unit capable of rapid deployment and operating from different firing positions, the report added. Lockheed Martin is reportedly the primary integrator for the launcher and battery systems.
"The Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon uses a boost-glide configuration in which the rocket booster accelerates the glide body to hypersonic speeds before release, allowing the weapon to manoeuvre in flight and reducing trajectory predictability compared to conventional ballistic missile profiles," Defence Security Asia said.
Thus, even after these final weeks, Dark Eagle is unlikely to be seen in action in the Middle East, where the war with Tehran is raging without any signs of de-escalation.
