【Mark Times】The US military will begin deploying hypersonic missiles as soon as next year

The U.S. Army and Navy recently successfully test-fired hypersonic missiles in Hawaii, providing crucial flight data for the development of the “Long Range Hypersonic Weapon” (LRHW) and “Conventional Prompt Strike” (CPS) missiles. This marks an important milestone in the U.S. military’s hypersonic missile program. The LRHW, also known as Dark Eagle, shares the same type of missile as the CPS, with the only difference being the launch vehicles – the former belongs to the Army, and the latter to the Navy. If all goes well, these two hypersonic weapons could be in service by 2025.

The development projects of hypersonic missiles in the U.S. military mainly include the Air Force’s AGM-183A (ARRW), the Army’s Dark Eagle (LRHW), the Navy’s CPS, and HALO, as well as the air-breathing hypersonic missile HAWC. Currently, the Dark Eagle of the Army and the CPS of the Navy are close to deployment, along with the Air Force’s AGM-183A.

The Army’s Dark Eagle and the Navy’s CPS both consist of two-stage solid-fuel boosters and a non-powered Common Hypersonic Glide Body (C-HGB) warhead at the top. The booster rockets accelerate the missile to hypersonic speeds, reaching a distant point at an altitude of about 100 kilometers. The non-powered hypersonic glide body warhead separates from the booster and rapidly descends in altitude while maintaining hypersonic speed as it glides toward the target. It approaches the target at relatively low altitudes, flying under the cover of air defense and missile defense sensors. The glide body warhead remains fully maneuverable, changing its heading as needed to avoid detection, evade interceptors, and use terrain to mask its approach.

The Army’s Dark Eagle system consists of launch batteries. A launch battery comprises one command vehicle and four mobile launch vehicles. The first Dark Eagle battery has been established and assigned to the 5th Battalion of the 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, but it only has command vehicles and mobile launchers without missiles. The Navy’s CPS is planned to be deployed on Zumwalt-class destroyers in 2025 and is expected to start deployment on the Virginia-class Batch 5 submarines around 2029.

On July 4th, the Japanese Ministry of Defense announced that the latest version of the “Island Defense Hypersonic Glide Missile” completed its first test firing in the U.S. in March this year, followed by a second test on April 7th. The “Island Defense Hypersonic Glide Missile” started early production in 2023, with expected service entry around 2026 or 2027.

The U.S. and Japan are not only actively developing hypersonic missiles but also collaborating on researching missile systems capable of intercepting hypersonic missiles, known as the “Glide Phase Interceptor” (GPI).

In addition to developing hypersonic missiles, the two countries are working together on research into missile defense systems. The GPI aims to intercept hypersonic missiles.

[Translation and rewriting complete.]