US armed forces test Dark Eagle hypersonic missile at Mach 5 speeds

[Ryan Robertson]

THE DARK EAGLE CAN FLY.
THE U.S. MILITARY MOVED CLOSER TO FIELDING ADVANCED HYPERSONIC WEAPONS AFTER A SUCCESSFUL MISSILE TEST AT CAPE CANAVERAL SPACE FORCE STATION.

BOTH THE U-S ARMY AND NAVY ARE DEVELOPING THE SYSTEM–WHICH THE NAVY CALLS CONVENTIONAL PROMPT STRIKE AND THE ARMY CALLS THE LONG-RANGE HYPERSONIC WEAPON–OR DARK EAGLE…WHICH IS CLEARLY THE BETTER MONIKER.

THE TEST DEMONSTRATED THE MISSILE’S ABILITY TO TRAVEL AND MANEUVER AT HYPERSONIC SPEEDS—MORE THAN FIVE TIMES THE SPEED OF SOUND—AND STRIKE TARGETS OVER LONG DISTANCES.

THIS WAS THE SECOND SUCCESSFUL FLIGHT OF THE ARMY’S ALL-UP ROUND MISSILE THIS YEAR–MEANING IT WAS A TEST OF THE TOTAL MISSILE PACKAGE, AND NOT JUST THE SEPARATE COMPONENTS. IT WAS ALSO THE FIRST LIVE-FIRE TEST OF DARK EAGLE USING ITS GROUND-BASED LAUNCHER AND OPERATIONS CENTER. THE PENTAGON CALLED THE TEST A MAJOR MILESTONE WHICH SHOW THE WEAPON IS CLOSER TO BEING COMBAT-READY.

THE NAVY PLANS TO INTEGRATE THE MISSILES ONTO ITS THREE ZUMWALT-CLASS DESTROYERS, AND EVENTUALLY SUBMARINES, AIMING TO COUNTER ADVANCED MISSILE SYSTEMS AND BOLSTER STRATEGIC DETERRENCE AS GLOBAL THREATS EVOLVE.

WITH ADVERSARIES LIKE CHINA AND RUSSIA AGGRESSIVELY ADVANCING THEIR OWN HYPERSONIC PROGRAMS, U.S. OFFICIALS EMPHASIZE THE URGENCY OF MAINTAINING AN EDGE IN THIS HIGH-STAKES ARMS RACE.

HYPERSONIC WEAPONS ARE DESIGNED TO OUTPACE AND OUTMANEUVER TRADITIONAL DEFENSES, OFFERING UNPARALLELED SPEED, RANGE, AND MANEUVERABILITY. SUPPORTERS SAY THESE CAPABILITIES MAKE THEM CRUCIAL FOR MODERN BATTLEFIELDS, WHERE PRECISION TARGETING AND RAPID RESPONSE ARE INCREASINGLY VITAL.

DETRACTORS SAY HYPERSONICS ARE TOO EXPENSIVE TO PRODUCE AND MAINTAIN AND DON’T OFFER ENOUGH OF BATTLEFIELD BENEFITS TO OFFSET THOSE COSTS.
CRITICS SAY HYPERSONIC WEAPONS ALSO COME WITH INCREASED RISK FACTORS– INCLUDING ESCALATING TENSIONS WITH ADVERSARIES AND CREATING NEW CHALLENGES IN ARMS CONTROL.

BUT IN THE MINDS OF MOST MILITARY LEADERS IN THE U-S…IF CHINA AND RUSSIA HAVE HYPERSONICS, THE U-S SHOULD TOO. SO FOR NOW, THE FOCUS REMAINS ON GETTING THE TECHNOLOGY INTO THE HANDS OF WARFIGHTERS.

WEAPONS WHICH WILL PROVIDE COMMANDERS WITH NEW OPTIONS FOR DETERRENCE AND PRECISION STRIKES. HOWEVER, ADDITIONAL TESTING AND EVALUATION ARE STILL NEEDED BEFORE THE SYSTEM IS FULLY DEPLOYED.

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