US Hypersonic Capabilities: First Unit to Receive Dark Eagle Missiles in December

The first US Army unit equipped with a battery of hypersonic missile launchers is expected to receive a full set of missiles by the end of the year.

Major General Frank Lozano, executive director of the Missile and Space Program, told Defense News in an interview.

In 2021, the 1st Multidisciplinary Task Force received all the equipment, except for the missiles themselves, for the Dark Eagle long-range hypersonic system.

This system is capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 3,000 kilometers, and the missile’s flight speed reaches Mach 4.9.

The unit, located in Washington state, was supposed to receive the missiles in the fall of 2023. However, several interrupted tests forced the Army to postpone the full deployment.

The unit received the first three missiles earlier this year, and the next ammunition arrived in July.

The fourth batch is currently undergoing acceptance testing at the Lockheed Martin plant.

According to Lozano, eight additional missiles are expected to be delivered by the end of December.

Lockheed Martin serves as a weapons systems integrator for the Army’s hypersonic systems. The launches will take place from mobile trailers.

At the same time, the military plans to conduct additional hypersonic missile tests around the same time.

Although the process of equipping the army with hypersonic systems is taking almost two years longer than expected, military officials emphasize that missile development programs usually take about ten years.

Meanwhile, the US hypersonic weapons program has only just exceeded the five-year mark. Earlier, Lockheed Martin adapted the Mako hypersonic missile to most American fighter jets and partially disclosed its characteristics.