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Army to Fully Arm First Dark Eagle Hypersonic Battery by December

The milestone follows 2023 test aborts, signaling a turn from prototype builds to scaled production.

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The U.S. Army's Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office, in collaboration with the U.S. Navy Strategic Systems Programs, recently completed a conventional hypersonic missile test from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla.
US Deploying 1700 Mile Range Hypersonic Missiles

Overview

  • Maj. Gen. Frank Lozano said the final eight Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon rounds are expected by the end of December to complete the basic load for Battery One at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
  • Three missiles were delivered earlier in 2025 and a fourth is undergoing acceptance checks at Lockheed Martin’s Cortland, Alabama facility.
  • The Army plans a hypersonic missile test around the same timeframe as deliveries are completed.
  • The road‑mobile LRHW, known as Dark Eagle, uses a two‑stage booster to launch a Common Hypersonic Glide Body capable of roughly 1,700‑mile strikes at speeds exceeding Mach 5.
  • After Battery One is equipped, the Army will begin work on Battery Two and a reload for the first unit while refining manufacturing quality and repeatability, according to Lozano.