Image source: topwar.ru
For the first time, the United States conducted exercises using the new ground-based hypersonic missile system Dark Eagle ("Black Eagle"), which is being developed to confront China. This is stated in the report of the Joint base Lewis-McCord.
From June 24 to 27, the US Army conducted the Resolute Hunter 24-2 ("Resolute Hunter") exercise with the participation of the Dark Eagle hypersonic missile system battery. It is reported that the Americans practiced the use of hypersonic missile weapons in modern combat conditions. The chain was worked out: "target detection — target designation — target destruction." The launches, of course, were electronic.
The nuance is that the exercises were conducted with a complex that has not yet passed the necessary tests, having failed all three recent launches. The last attempt to launch a rocket was last fall. The ground-based hypersonic missile system Dark Eagle, better known as LRHW (Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon), was tried to launch on October 26, 2023, but the tests were canceled due to "problems detected before launch." So the Americans don't know if this missile is flying at all.
Image source: topwar.ru
The Long Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) is a versatile medium—range solid-fuel ballistic missile designed for land-based use. The missile is equipped with a universal guided maneuverable gliding hypersonic warhead Common Hypersonic Glide Body (C-HGB). Missiles with blocks are placed on a two-container installation towed by an Oshkosh M983A4 (8x8) tractor.
It is planned that the Dark Eagle complex, located in the Asia-Pacific region, will become a "nightmare" for China. During the only successful launch, the missile flew 2,775 km, but experts suggest that in reality its range will be from 3 to 4 thousand kilometers, which is enough to guarantee the destruction of military facilities on Chinese territory.
