US Army's Dark Eagle Hypersonic Missile: What's Its Range And Top Speed?
Story by Jonathan H. Kantor • 18h
A major focus in missile development of the 21st century has been hypersonic research. Hypersonic flight is achieved when an object surpasses Mach 5 (3,836 mph), and getting it right is the Holy Grail in modern missile development. This is because objects moving faster than Mach 5 are almost impossible to intercept, making such missiles incredibly deadly. While Russia currently has the fastest hypersonic missile in the world, the United States Army is fielding its own high-speed version.
It was once known as the Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW), but has since received the official Dark Eagle designation. It's classified as an intermediate-range surface-to-surface boost-glide hypersonic weapon. That's a mouthful, but it essentially means the Dark Eagle is a fast-moving artillery weapon capable of traveling faster than Mach 5 with a range of 1,725 miles.
The Army successfully tested the missile in April 2025. However, many of the details are confidential at the moment. What is known is that the Dark Eagle consists of two parts: the Common Hypersonic Glide Body C-HGB and the missile itself. Once testing is complete and it has proven itself capable of carrying out its prescribed mission, the Dark Eagle will enter the inventory sometime soon, though it blew past its intended 2023 fielding goal.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/us-army-s-dark-eagle-hypersonic-missile-what-s-its-range-and-top-speed/ar-AA1Ez1yD?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=292a69bcde824b479c6897c6d3b75ad7&ei=32
