Prior to this test, when was the last military missile test launch from the Cape? Pershing 2 during the 1980s? Pershing 2, by the way, had similar range to Dark Eagle. Its testing stopped when the US and USSR signed the INF treaty in 1987. Extant missiles were destroyed at that time. - Ed Kyle
There was another attempt later in the year that may have qualified:QuoteThe previous successful suborbital missile test from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station took place on August 10, 2023. This test was part of the Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) system and demonstrated the performance of the Common Hypersonic Glide Body (C-HGB) at hypersonic speeds.
The previous successful suborbital missile test from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station took place on August 10, 2023. This test was part of the Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) system and demonstrated the performance of the Common Hypersonic Glide Body (C-HGB) at hypersonic speeds.
Quote from: catdlr on 12/14/2024 03:03 pmThere was another attempt later in the year that may have qualified:QuoteThe previous successful suborbital missile test from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station took place on August 10, 2023. This test was part of the Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) system and demonstrated the performance of the Common Hypersonic Glide Body (C-HGB) at hypersonic speeds.I can't find the link for this reference. Can you post it?
A Navigational Warning has appeared that points to a test of the #LRHW '#hypersonic' #missile from Cape Canaveral on April 25-27.
Liftoff of the LRHW Dark Eagle this morning 🚀
The Army's Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon fired out of a canister on a road-mobile trailer shortly after sunrise on Florida's Space Coast, then headed east over the Atlantic Ocean propelled by a solid-fueled rocket booster. Local residents shared images of the launch on social media.Designed for conventional munitions, the new missile is poised to become the first ground-based hypersonic weapon fielded by the US military. Russia has used hypersonic missiles in combat against Ukraine. China has "the world's leading hypersonic missile arsenal," according to a recent Pentagon report on Chinese military power. After a successful test flight from Cape Canaveral last year, the long-range hypersonic weapon (LRHW)—officially named "Dark Eagle" by the Army earlier this week—will give the United States the ability to strike targets with little or no warning.[...]Dark Eagle is designed to fly at speeds exceeding Mach 5, or 3,800 mph, with a reported range of 1,725 miles (2,775 kilometers), sufficient to reach Taiwan from Guam, or NATO's borders with Russia from Western Europe. The US military says it has no plans to outfit its hypersonic weapons with nuclear warheads.[...]The Congressional Budget Office reported in 2023 that purchasing 300 intermediate-range hypersonic missiles would cost $41 million per missile. Dynetics, a subsidiary of the defense contractor Leidos, is responsible for developing the Common Hypersonic Glide Body for the Army's Dark Eagle and the Navy's Conventional Prompt Strike programs. Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor charged with integrating the entire weapon system.
