The U.S. hypersonic LRHW weapon with the Dark Eagle missile will not achieve combat readiness until the end of fiscal year 2023

Expectedly, the postponement of the first launch of the Dark Eagle hypersonic missile has negatively impacted the schedule for achieving Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) combat readiness. The U.S. Army will not be able to invest in the projected timeline.

Here's What We Know

Last year, the US Army failed to make the first launch of Dark Eagle. In 2023, the first launch attempt was postponed twice. A fortnight ago, during pre-launch inspections, the US Army decided cancel the critical test.

LRHW was originally scheduled to achieve combat readiness by the end of fiscal year 2023, i.e. by 30 September. Now the US Department of Defence has set a new target of the end of the calendar year.

Pentagon spokesman Dough Bush said the US Army has the time and capability to conduct tests to achieve combat readiness by the end of the year. He said the inability to do so by the end of September must be accepted, as the military should not approve weapons it is unsure of.

The work on the LRWH is being done by Lockheed Martin. The US company has done a great job of creating hypersonic weapons from scratch. The system was handed over to the US Army in fiscal year 2021, two years before the planned deployment.

Source: Defence News