Yesterday, December 12, the United States Army carried out the launch of its new hypersonic missile, Dark Eagle, from the facilities of the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The test, conducted jointly with the U.S. Navy, represents a new step in the development of the U.S. Armed Forces to acquire hypersonic missile systems deployable from multiple platforms. It also reflects the Pentagon’s efforts to close the gap with other powers, such as China and Russia, which have had such weaponry in service for years.
To provide a brief description of Dark Eagle, it originates from a joint program between the U.S. Army and Navy known as the Long Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW). This program aims to develop a common hypersonic missile for both forces, allowing deployment from various platforms currently in service or being introduced.
In the case of the U.S. Navy, the LRHW will be deployed from Zumwalt-class stealth destroyers, with the first unit currently undergoing modernization work by HII, including launch capability upgrades. Recently, as reported a few days ago, the USS Zumwalt was refloated as part of the requirements to begin certification tests. It should also be noted that the U.S. Navy aims to equip future Virginia-class Block V attack submarines with this capability.
For its part, the U.S. Army plans to deploy the LRHW from a ground-based hypersonic missile launch system officially referred to as Dark Eagle, which has undergone various tests and evaluations in recent years.
Regarding the characteristics of the hypersonic missile launched yesterday from Cape Canaveral, it consists of a common missile known as the All Up Round (AUR), developed for the aforementioned Army and Navy programs. It has two main components: a two-stage rocket and an unpowered hypersonic glide vehicle, which, as its name suggests, glides toward its target along various atmospheric trajectories at speeds exceeding Mach 5. The Army has stated that this missile reaches speeds of up to Mach 17 with a maximum range of 2,775 kilometers.
Returning to the details of yesterday’s test, it was carried out by the U.S. Army’s Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office, in collaboration with the U.S. Navy’s Strategic Systems Programs. The Department of Defense highlighted this test, stating: “This is the second successful end-to-end flight test of the All Up Round (AUR) conducted this year and was the first live-fire event of the Long Range Hypersonic Weapon system, utilizing a Battery Operations Center and a Transporter-Erector Launcher.”
Both the Department of Defense and the U.S. Armed Forces have emphasized this milestone. Among them is the Secretary of the Navy, Carlos Del Toro, who stated: “This test marks an important milestone in the development of one of our most advanced weapons systems. As we approach the first delivery of this capability to our Army partners, we will continue advancing to integrate Conventional Prompt Strike onto our surface ships and submarines to ensure we remain the world’s foremost fighting force.”
However, the execution of this test also highlights the delays that have affected the development of this class of missiles for the U.S. Army, which has had to revise its operational deployment timeline. For instance, last year, the Army canceled three scheduled tests (without providing details on the reasons or issues). In June, a successful launch test of the common missile was conducted, but using a different launch system than the one intended for the Dark Eagle.
The reality is that developing this class of technology in the United States still has a long way to go in terms of testing and maturation before entering service and subsequent operational deployments. The most evident case is the hypersonic missile AGM-183A ARRW of the U.S. Air Force (USAF), whose fate, despite receiving continued albeit reduced funding and undergoing launch tests in the Pacific, remains uncertain, with a possible cancellation looming.
Finally, acquiring hypersonic combat capabilities has become a critical necessity for the U.S. Armed Forces in a hypothetical conflict scenario with the People’s Republic of China in the Pacific, where the Asian Giant has demonstrated rapid development of various systems. This has been acknowledged with great concern by Washington in several publicly released reports.
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