Overview

• Dark Eagle’s 1,725-mile range and mobile launcher architecture allowed the Army to conduct precision hypersonic exercises during Talisman Sabre 2025 in Australia’s Northern Territory.
• Admiral Samuel Paparo said the drills confirm the Army’s ability to deploy, position and control hypersonic fires in a forward environment.
• The Navy intends to outfit Virginia-class submarines and Zumwalt-class destroyers with the long-range hypersonic weapon by the last quarter of fiscal 2028.
• China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the forward deployments as destabilizing and warned they could trigger a regional arms competition.
• Critics including David Wright and Cameron Tracy argue that intense thermal stress, aerodynamic drag and high costs may limit hypersonic missiles’ operational advantage over legacy systems.