The U.S. Army deployed its newest hypersonic weapon system, the Long Range Hypersonic Weapon known as Dark Eagle, to Guam last month during Exercise Valiant Shield, Pacific Command confirmed Thursday.
Photos posted Sunday by the Seventh Infantry Division show Adm. Samuel J. Paparo, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, walking alongside the missile system during the June exercise on the island. The post noted that Paparo observed troops training with Dark Eagle during the multinational drill.
“Exercises like VALIANT SHIELD allow Pacific Command Joint Forces the opportunity to integrate forces from all branches of service and with our allies to conduct precise, lethal, and overwhelming multi-axis, multi-domain effects that demonstrate the strength and versatility of the joint force and our commitment to a free and open Pacific,” the Seventh Infantry Division post stated.
Dark Eagle missiles travel at speeds up to 17 times the speed of sound. The system has a range of roughly 2,175 miles, sufficient to reach targets inside China while defeating existing missile defenses. The weapon can strike a target in as little as 20 minutes using a highly maneuverable, unpowered glide vehicle.
The deployment comes as Paparo has repeatedly called for stationing hypersonic weapons in his theater of operations to deter China, which has fielded its own hypersonic systems, including the DF-17 road-mobile ballistic missile.
A private report from Paparo to Congress, previously disclosed by The Washington Times, stated that the Pentagon plans to station offensive missiles on Guam alongside a new multibillion-dollar air and missile defense system. The report said the defenses will “provide the basis for a future offensive capability.” Potential systems under consideration for permanent deployment include Dark Eagle and the Army’s Typhon Mid-Range Capability, which can launch Tomahawk cruise missiles with a range of 1,200 miles.
Each Dark Eagle battery typically consists of an operations center and four transporter erector launchers carrying two missiles each.
The deployment coincides with heightened U.S. military activity across the Pacific and the Middle East, where the U.S. military is in its 12th night of strikes against Iran. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday that Iran “will pay a very heavy price” for continued aggression, describing the administration’s posture in the region as a “head for an eye” policy.
