Dark Eagle: US hypersonic missile enters production
The Dark Eagle hypersonic missile is set to enter production following the award of a $2.7 billion contract. The weapon is certainly novel and adds a new layer to US long-range strike. But costs remain high, and the lethality is potentially limited.
By Sam Cranny-Evans, editor of Calibre Defence, published on April 23, 2026.
The US Army has awarded a $2.7 billion production contract for the Dark Eagle hypersonic missile. Otherwise known as the Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon, the contract covers development and production.
It advances the project, which was first initiated in 2017, into production after several years of troubled testing. The contract was actually awarded on March 31 but announced via an April 21 press release. It was done under a compressed timeframe, combining requirements from the Navy and contractor counterproposals.
Notably, the missile was expected to cost in the region of $40 million per unit. This indicates that at best the contract can cover the production of 67 missiles. In reality, the contract will produce far fewer as it also supports development and testing. Production is initially expected to run at a rate of one per month, eventually reaching two per month.
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It will be deployed by the US Army’s Multi-Domain Task Forces (MDTF) and by the US Navy for its Conventional Prompt Strike. In the MDTFs it will serve alongside the Typhon mid-range missile launcher, which can fire Tomahawk cruise missiles and the SM-6.
Tech profile: Dark Eagle
An infographic showing the division of labour for the Dark Eagle hypersonic missile. Credit: Government Accountability Office.
Dark Eagle, or the Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon, is a joint development between the US Navy and Army. The Navy led on development of the Common Hypersonic Glide Body with Dynetics (a subsidiary of Leidos (NYSE: LDOS)) and a design from the Sandia National Laboratory. The booster and launch trailer is manufactured by Lockheed Martin, which also acts as the integrator for the missile.
Contrary to previous reports, which gave the missile a range of 2,775 km, its reach is in fact 3,500 km. “I can range mainland China from Guam,” Lt. Gen. Francisco Lozano, Director of Hypersonic, Directed Energy, Space and Rapid Acquisition, told Hegseth, providing the range figure at the same time.
It employs a hypersonic glide vehicle, which is launched by a two-stage booster to an apogee. When the Common Hypersonic Glide Body is released, it glides back towards earth at hypersonic speeds (at least 6,115 km/h). For contrast, a Tomahawk cruise missile travels at an average speed of 885 km/h. The missile can cover its maximum range in 20 minutes, giving an average speed of 175 km/minute. However, any changes in direction would reduce that speed and potentially its range.
Within the glide vehicle is the warhead, which is seemingly reliant upon kinetic energy. Another US soldier at the Hegseth briefing in December explained that it carries a 14 kg explosive designed to get the “projectiles out.” Once released, they can deliver effects over an area approximately the size of a football field.
Calibre comment: Dark Eagle’s lethality
It is not clear whether the Dark Eagle relies entirely on kinetic energy projectiles or if they carry any explosives. The kinetic energy approach is appealing and to some extent necessary. The Common Hypersonic Glide Body does not provide a lot of room for explosives. However, it does require the projectiles to hit their target for an effect to happen. It is worth noting that the Russian Oreshnik uses a similar approach and its effects are questionable. Furthermore, the US Congress has raised concerns over the lack of lethality testing of the warhead, much of which has been done through modelling and simulation.
Dark Eagle’s role is to degrade China’s air defences and key networks. So, it would be required to hit air defence systems, command posts, and potentially ships. Often, these targets are more easily destroyed with an explosive payload. Russia frequently used cluster munitions from an Iskander ballistic missile against air defence systems, for example. The issue with the lethality question is that if it is unable to destroy a target with a single missile, then more missiles will be used. That will increase the costs and time per engagement.
The lead image shows a Dark Eagle missile during launch. Credit: US Department of War.
