US achieves success in hypersonic arms examination
Date
12/16/2024 5:39:25 AM
(MENAFN) The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has announced a successful test of its hypersonic weapon system, "Dark Eagle," which is being developed in collaboration by the U.S. army and Navy. The two branches plan to use the same hypersonic glider warhead, known as the C-HGB, with a booster rocket that can be launched from land or naval platforms, including Zumwalt-class destroyers and Virginia-class submarines.
The recent test, conducted at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, involved the Army's version of the system, called the Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW). This test follows a prior launch in June from the Hawaiian island of Kauai. The new test included a significant first: the use of a Battery Operations Center and a Transporter Erector Launcher as part of the Army's ground-mobile platform for the booster missile.
The weapon has a range of 1,725 miles (2,775 km) and can travel at speeds exceeding 3,800 miles per hour (6,115 km/h), or Mach 5, classifying it as a hypersonic projectile. The development of the LRHW was previously restricted under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which the U.S. withdrew from in 2018.
While the program has faced delays, with the Army missing its goal to field the system by the end of fiscal year 2023, the recent successful test marks a major milestone. On the same day, the Pentagon also announced a successful interception of an air-launched medium-range ballistic missile in Guam, signaling significant progress in U.S. missile defense capabilities.
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