US Army Dark Eagle hypersonic weapon moves from testing into production under 2.7 billion dollar Leidos contract, Common Hypersonic Glide Body above Mach 5
The US Army's first land-based hypersonic weapon is leaving the lab. Under a 2.7 billion dollar deal, Leidos $LDOS is moving the Dark Eagle glide body and heat shield from testing into production, near one missile a month at first. It tops Mach 5. Per the U.S. Army.
The US Army's first land-based hypersonic weapon is moving out of the test range and toward the field. Under a contract worth about 2.7 billion dollars, Leidos $LDOS will take the Common Hypersonic Glide Body, the maneuvering core of the system known as Dark Eagle, and its thermal protection shield from development into production. The glide body is the hardest part of the weapon to build. It has to survive sustained flight above Mach 5, when friction alone can destroy hardware, while still steering accurately onto heavily defended targets. Early production is expected to run at roughly one missile per month before rising to two, a deliberately slow ramp for a weapon this complex. The Army declared a limited operational capability for the system earlier this year, and an Army-Navy team launched a joint hypersonic missile that flew above Mach 5 during testing. Reported by the U.S. Army and Washington Technology, the move signals that the United States is trying to close the gap with rivals who have already fielded hypersonic weapons of their own.