The first hypersonic complexes Long Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) Dark Eagle (“Dark Eagle”) The order of the American gunners was received, the US Department of Defense published pictures of the transfer of the complexes, which took place in September.
The gunners of the unit of the 17th Field Artillery Brigade of the US Army received training samples and an experimental battery of the LRHW Dark Eagle hypersonic complex. Two launchers of the first battery of the LRHW complex were handed over to the military. Each installation accommodates two transport and launch containers of hypersonic missiles. The images show the mass-dimensional layouts of LRHW transport and launch containers, launchers on semi-trailers and Oshkosh HEMTT A4 M983A4 Patriot tractors. However, the hypersonic missiles themselves have not yet been delivered.
These components of the LRHW Dark Eagle hypersonic complex are intended only for familiarizing military personnel with them. The Pentagon hopes to begin test launches of a guided missile in the fiscal year 2022. According to the military’s plans, the first complexes should enter service in 2023.
The LRHW (Long Range Hypersonic Weapon) Dark Eagle ground-based missile system is actually an AUR (All-Up-Round) medium-range ballistic missile equipped with a universal controlled maneuverable hypersonic warhead Common-Hypersonic Glide Body (C-HGB) in Block 1. The declared range of the missile is 2775 kilometers. The first Dark Eagle complexes can probably be located in the future in the western part of the USA at the Lewis-McCord base in Washington State.
Lockheed Martin Corporation is engaged in the development of LRHW, the work is being carried out jointly with the US Army Hypersonic Project Office (Army Hypersonic Project Office; part of the US Army Accelerated Development and Critical Technologies Office). In August 2019, the US Army approved Lockheed Martin contracts worth $347 million for the development and creation of a prototype LRHW.
The US Army planned to start testing LRHW in 2021 with test launches approximately once every six months, but now the start of flight tests has been postponed to 2022. At the same time, in 2023, the deployment of the first battery of the LRHW system is expected to begin with its placement on experimental combat duty in the same 17th Field Artillery Brigade of the US Army. In the future, the serial batteries of the LRHW Dark Eagle system should be reduced to strategic fire destruction divisions (Strategic Fires Battalion).
The US Navy is developing a ship-based Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) hypersonic missile, which is actually a ship-based version of the LRHW. The CPS missile is intended for use with surface ships and submarines. It is planned to achieve the initial operational capability of CPS in the fiscal year 2025, when this missile should be deployed on American Zumwalt-type destroyers. Starting from fiscal year 2028, the CPS missile should be launched on the Virginia Block V series nuclear multipurpose submarines equipped with Virginia Payload Module (VPM) armament modules.