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US Conducts Hypersonic Missile Test at Cape Canaveral
The U.S. Army will field its first Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon battery within weeks, providing a new strike capability with missiles costing about $41 million each, officials said.
- On Thursday, March 26, 2026, an unidentified missile launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and zoomed across the Atlantic Ocean, leaving a white contrail; observers believe it was a test of the Dark Eagle Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon.
- Designed to address capability gaps against near-peer adversaries, the Army is preparing to field Dark Eagle within weeks using boost-glide technology that exceeds Mach 5, complicating detection by advanced air defense systems.
- Each round costs about $41 million, and the program has consumed over $12 billion since 2018, with current production rates constrained to roughly one missile per month, limiting inventory.
- Lockheed Martin Corp. serves as prime contractor, enabling the U.S. to hold high-value targets at risk across the Indo-Pacific, Eastern Europe, and the Gulf from forward positions with at least 2,775 kilometers range.
- Despite imminent deployment, Pentagon testing officials report insufficient data to evaluate effectiveness until 2027, yet the service accepts initial operational capability for the 5th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment.
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Launch spotted from Cape Canaveral could be another hypersonic missile test
ORLANDO, Fla. — Reports of a mystery rocket seen launching from Cape Canaveral on Thursday could be another hypersonic missile test for the Department of Defense. The U.S. Coast Guard and Department of Homeland Security had posted navigational warnings earlier…
US Dark Eagle missile can reach Russia and China in 20 minutes
·Kyiv, Ukraine
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Leaning Left1Leaning Right1Center5Last UpdatedBias Distribution72% Center
Bias Distribution
- 72% of the sources are Center
72% Center
14%
C 72%
14%
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