As the hypersonic missile arms race intensifies, the United States unveiled promising progress on deploying its first “Dark Eagle” long-range weapon system capable of eluding detection and interception and might be fielding it sooner than expected.

Evaluating Capabilities

The US Army recently deployed its first long-range hypersonic weapon (LRHW) system more than 3,100 miles (5,000 kilometers) away from its previous post to Cape Canaveral in Florida to launch a full expeditionary rehearsal and test its capabilities.

The weapons system was initially stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, before transferring to the Sunshine State to partake in the deployment exercise, dubbed Thunderbolt Strike, and gain insightful, “immediate feedback” from future operators on the sophisticated system.

Soldiers of the 5th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment conducted a series of practice drills, scrutinizing every nook and cranny of the high-precision LRHW system.

“Our Soldiers processed real missions, with real data, in real-time, to produce real effects to learn lessons and generate readiness,” Commander Brig. Gen. Bernard Harrington stated.

“We’re training the way we will fight, and our Soldiers are ready to deploy and employ this critical capability forward,” he added.

What is a Long Range Hypersonic Weapon?

According to the Army, the LRHW is a truck-launched system capable of firing hypersonic missiles up to 3,800 mph (about 6,116 kph). With an emphasis on the element of surprise, this weapon system is designed to reach the extreme heights of the Earth’s atmosphere and traverse merely outside the range of contemporary “air and missile defense systems until they are ready to strike, and by then, it’s too late to react.”

Reportedly, the hypersonic weapon system is being developed by Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman as part of a joint Army-Navy effort to strengthen their respective Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) capabilities. Furthermore, increase their capacity to suppress a hostile long-range fire and engage in other high-payoff/time-critical operations.

2020 test launch of a prototype of the Common Hypersonic Glide Body. Source: Wikimedia Commons

A long-range hypersonic missile comprises a Common Hypersonic Glide Body (C-HGB) powered by the Navy’s 34.5-inch booster. According to reports, this C-HGB is based on the Alternate Re-Entry System developed by the Army and Sandia National Laboratories in the mid-to-late 2010s that uses a booster rocket engine capable of achieving well over the hypersonic speed of Mach 5, or five times faster than the speed of sound, and beyond.

Moreover, the Army’s LRHW system has been sorted into batteries consisting of four Transporter Erector Launchers on modified M870A4 trailers. Each armored vehicle carries two linked hypersonic glide bodies known as the All Up Round plus Canister (AUR+C), one Battery Operations Center (BOC) for command and control, and a BOC support vehicle.

Regarding costs, the Congressional Budget Office Report published in January estimated that a missile would be at least $41 million each.

Promising Progress

In addition, the exercise includes critical command and control linkages between US Indo-Pacific Command, US Strategic Command, US Army Pacific, and Army Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO) with the team from the 1st Multi-Domain Task Force (MDTF).

“This unit is fully trained and has proven that they can be deployed away from home station and go right into whatever mission they’re given,” said Col. Ian Humphrey of RCCTO, praising the 1st MDTF’s swift progress in developing the technical and procedural capacity vital to the introduction of the LRHW system into the Joint Force of the Department of Defense (DoD).

Humphrey is the manager of the RCCTO’s hypersonic weapon integration project.

Harrington also noted the significance of the long-range weapon’s deployment exercise in bolstering the capacity of the multi-domain force of the future, adding that “[t]he second half of the Army’s year of long-range precision fires will continue to represent groundbreaking strides toward integrated deterrence in the Pacific.”

Despite promising progress, it is to note that the LRHW program has not been without challenges since it has previously been riddled with test failures and delays.

Initially, the Army planned for three flight tests of the weapon system before fielding the first battery in fiscal 2023. However, failures in the first two tests pushed the DoD to reschedule the third test, subsequently affecting the overall timetable of the program.

The first test held in October 2021 involved testing the booster rocket of the C-HGB, while the subsequent trial in June 2022 included the entire LRHW missile. Both failed, delaying the third field test to the first quarter of fiscal 2023 as suggested by the DoD to let the program team “assess the root cause,” particularly the June 2022 failure.

Earlier in March, some reports estimated that the LRHW “test is at least six months behind schedule,” leaving the Army with relatively little time to field the advanced weapon system by the end of this year.

Whatever milestones are reached during the deployment exercise in Florida may keep the program up to speed.