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Updated July 2, 2024
The U.S. Army’s Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW):
Dark Eagle
What Is the Army’s Long-Range
Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) system, which can be
Hypersonic Weapon?
fired from both surface vessels and submarines.
The Army’s Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW),
also known as Dark Eagle (Figure 1), with a reported range
Common Hypersonic Glide Body (C-HGB)
of 1,725 miles, consists of a ground-launched missile
The C-HGB is reportedly based on the Alternate Re-Entry
equipped with a hypersonic glide body and associated
System developed by the Army and Sandia National
transport, support, and fire control equipment. According to
Laboratories. Dynetics, a subsidiary of Leidos, is currently
the Army,
under contract to produce C-HGB prototypes for the Army
and Navy. The C-HGB uses a booster rocket motor to
This land-based, truck-launched system is armed
accelerate to well above hypersonic speeds and then
with hypersonic missiles that can travel well over
jettisons the expended rocket booster. The C-HGB, which
3,800 miles per hour. They can reach the top of the
can travel at Mach 5 or higher on its own, is planned to be
Earth’s atmosphere and remain just beyond the
maneuverable, potentially making it more difficult to detect
range of air and missile defense systems until they
and intercept.
are ready to strike, and by then it’s too late to react.
LRHW Organization and Units
Figure 1. Artist Rendition of a Notional LRHW Unit
The LRHW is organized into batteries. According to the
Army “a LRHW battery consists of four Transporter
Erector Launchers on modified M870A4 trailers, each
equipped with two AUR+Cs (eight in total), one Battery
Operations Center (BOC) for command and control, and a
BOC support vehicle.”
The 5th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment at Joint Base
Lewis-McChord, Washington, was designated to operate
the first battery of eight LRHW missiles. The battalion, also
referred to as a Strategic Long-Range Fires battalion, is part
of the Army’s 1st Multi Domain Task Force (MDTF), a unit
in the Indo Pacific-oriented I Corps stationed at Joint Base
Lewis-McChord, WA. Other LRHW batteries are planned
Source: https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/weapons/
for Strategic Long-Range Fires battalions in the remaining
a36421213/army-hypersonic-weapon-1700-mile-range/, accessed
MDTFs scheduled for activation.
November 18, 2021.
LRHW Testing and Program Activities
The Army further notes,
According to a 2023 Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
The LRHW system provides the Army a strategic
Study, “U.S. Hypersonic Weapons and Alternatives,”
attack weapon system to defeat Anti-Access/Area
“Extensive flight testing is necessary to shield hypersonic
Denial (A2/AD) capabilities, suppress adversary
missiles’ sensitive electronics, to understand how various
long-range fires, and engage other high payoff/time
materials perform, and predict aerodynamics at sustained
temperatures as high as 3,000° Fahrenheit.”
critical targets. The Army is working closely with
The Army
the Navy in the development of the LRHW. LRHW
originally planned for three flight tests of the LRHW before
the first battery fielding in FY2023. On October 21, 2021,
is comprised of the Common Hypersonic Glide
the booster rocket carrying the C-HGB vehicle reportedly
Body (C-HGB), and the Navy 34.5-inch booster.
failed a test flight, resulting in what defense officials
LRHW Components
characterized as a “no test” as the C-HGB had no chance to
deploy. Reportedly, a June 2022 test of the entire LRHW
Missile
missile also resulted in failure.
The missile component of the LRHW is reportedly being
Flight Test Delays
developed by Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman.
In October 2022, it was reported the Department of Defense
When the hypersonic glide body is attached, it is referred to
(DOD) delayed a scheduled LRHW test in order to “assess
as the Navy-Army All Up Round plus Canister (AUR+C).
the root cause of the June [2022] failure.” Reportedly, the
The missile component serves as the common two-stage
booster for the Army’s LRHW and the Navy’s
https://crsreports.congress.gov
The U.S. Army’s Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW): Dark Eagle
delayed test would be rescheduled to the first quarter of
Successful LRHW Flight Test
FY2023.
On June 28, 2024 DOD announced,
March 2023 LRHW Test Scrubbed
The U.S. Navy and U.S. Army recently completed
On March 10, 2023, it was reported,
an end-to-end flight test of a hypersonic missile
from the Pacific Missile Range Facility, Kauai, HI.
On March 5, DOD was preparing to execute Joint
The test provided data on the end-to-end
Flight Campaign-2 featuring the Army version of
performance of the Conventional Prompt Strike and
the prototype weapon launched at Cape Canaveral
Long- Range Hypersonic Weapon All Up Round.
Space Force Station, FL, when the countdown was
halted.... As a result of pre-flight checks during that
Reportedly, the two-stage missile was launched from a
event, the test did not occur.
ground stand from Hawaii across the Pacific Ocean more
than 2,000 miles to a test range in the Marshall Islands,
Cancelled September 2023 LRHW Test and
with the missile flying its intended course and releasing the
Program Delay
glide body, which flew to the target.
On September 6, 2023, it was reported,
FY2025 LRHW Budgetary Information
The DOD planned to conduct a flight test at the
Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, to
Table 1. FY2025 LRHW Budget Request
inform hypersonic technology development. As a
Funding Category
Total Request ($M)
result of pre-flight checks, the test did not occur.
RDT&E
$538
On September 14, 2023, in an Army statement to
Procurement (Missiles)
$744
Bloomberg News, the Army reportedly acknowledged it
Source: Assistant Secretary of the Army (Financial Management and
would not be able to meet its goal of deploying the LRHW
Comptrol er), U.S. Army FY2025 Budget Highlights, March 2024, p. 33.
by the end of FY2023.
Notes: RDT&E = Research, Development, Test & Evaluation; $M =
Change in LRHW Testing Pathway
U.S. dollars in mil ions.
In late November 2023, Navy and Army acquisition
Considerations for Congress
executives reportedly decided to “revamp efforts to prepare
for [LRHW] flight test following three flight test attempts
Possible oversight considerations for Congress could
this year that were scrubbed because of problems with the
include the following:
Lockheed Martin-produced launcher.” The Army’s new
Additional LRHW Testing
testing approach will feature subcomponent testing.
Now that the Army has achieved a successful end-to-end
LRHW Fielding Delayed Until FY2025
test flight of the LRHW, the Army has stated that “once a
According to a June 2024 Government Accountability
successful flight test is achieved, the first production
Office (GAO) report to Congress,
missile will be delivered within approximately six weeks
and the first battery of eight missiles will be delivered
The Army missed its goal of fielding its first LRHW
within approximately 11 months.” If the Army proceeds
battery—including missiles— by fiscal year 2023
with its stated course of action, it is possible that the first
due to integration challenges. Based on current test
production missiles would be delivered to the Army in mid-
and missile production plans, the Army will not
August 2024. Given this short timeline between missile
field its first complete LRHW battery until fiscal
production and fielding to the first LRHW battery,
year 2025. Before the Army can field an operational
Congress might examine what additional testing is planned
system, it must conduct a successful end-to-end
to be conducted with the newly produced missiles before
missile flight test using the Army’s launch system.
they are delivered to the first LRHW battery.
GAO further notes,
LRHW Missile Costs
The LRHW integration issues discovered during
According to a January 2023 CBO study, “U.S. Hypersonic
Weapons and Alternatives,” purchasing 300 Intermediate-
testing also affect missile production. The Army
Range Hypersonic Boost-Glide Missiles (similar to the
cannot complete the missiles for the first battery
LRHW) was estimated to cost $41 million per missile (in
until a successful test demonstrates that the current
2023 dollars). A January 2023 Center for Strategic and
design works. LRHW officials stated that once a
International Studies report, “The First Battle of the Next
successful flight test is achieved, the first
War: Wargaming a Chinese Invasion of Taiwan,” contends,
production missile will be delivered within
regarding hypersonic weapons, “their high costs limits
approximately six weeks and the first battery of
inventories, so they lack the volume needed to counter the
eight
missiles
will
be
delivered
within
immense numbers of Chinese air and naval platforms.”
approximately 11 months. If the Army discovers
Given concerns about how LRHW missile costs could
issues with missile performance in flight testing,
influence LRHW inventories, policymakers might decide to
missile deliveries and the fielding of the first
further examine LRHW missile costs as well as quantities
operational LRHW system could be further
of LRHW missiles needed to support potential sustained
delayed.
combat operations in various theaters of operations.
https://crsreports.congress.gov
The U.S. Army’s Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW): Dark Eagle
IF11991
Andrew Feickert, Specialist in Military Ground Forces
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https://crsreports.congress.gov | IF11991 · VERSION 20 · UPDATED