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Lockheed Martin LRHW

Lockheed Martin · Hypersonic · USA · Digital Age (2010–present)

The Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW; nicknamed Dark Eagle) is an American ground-launched hypersonic boost-glide weapon — Lockheed Martin's US Army hypersonic missile system + the successor to the cancelled AGM-183 ARRW. Lockheed Martin (system integrator) + Dynetics (glide-body manufacturer) developed the LRHW from 2017-2023 as part of the joint Army-Navy Common Hypersonic Glide Body (C-HGB) programme; first deployment November 2023. The system is the primary US Army surface-launched hypersonic weapon.

The LRHW uses a 2-stage configuration: an Army-developed solid-fuel rocket booster + a Common Hypersonic Glide Body (C-HGB). After launch from a road-mobile transporter-erector-launcher, the booster accelerates the C-HGB to hypersonic speed (Mach 17+) + glides unpowered to its target. Range: 2,775 km (1,725 miles). The C-HGB manoeuvres during glide, allowing terminal-trajectory shaping that complicates ABM interception. Length 12 m (booster + C-HGB stack), weight ~7,400 kg. Warhead: kinetic-energy (no explosive — the Mach 17+ impact energy is sufficient). The system uses the Army's truck-mounted Common Hypersonic All-Up Round (AUR) launcher + AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel + AN/TPQ-53 radar tracking.

The LRHW reached initial deployment status in late 2024 after a 2023 deployment to the 1st Multi-Domain Task Force in Washington State + later forward-deployment plans for the Indo-Pacific. Naval variant — Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) — uses the same C-HGB launched from US Navy Zumwalt-class destroyers + Virginia-class submarines (service entry 2025-2028). The LRHW + CPS systems are the US's principal conventional long-range strike weapons. Production target is ~24 systems by 2030 with road-mobile + naval-launched variants. The Army-Navy joint programme is one of few successful Pentagon hypersonic programmes — the Air Force's AGM-183 ARRW was cancelled in 2023.

For Kids — a shorter, friendlier version

The Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon is an American rocket system made by the United States Army. It has a cool nickname: the Dark Eagle. It was first sent out for use in November 2023. Companies called Lockheed Martin and Dynetics helped build it.

The Dark Eagle has two parts. First, a rocket booster blasts it into the sky. Then a glider called the Common Hypersonic Glide Body zooms toward its target. The glider has no engine. It just glides at super-fast speeds after the booster lets go.

This weapon is faster than almost anything else on Earth. It flies at more than 17 times the speed of sound. That is faster than a rifle bullet by a huge margin. It can hit targets up to 2,775 kilometers away.

The whole stack is 12 meters long and heavier than a large pickup truck. It launches from a big truck that can drive on roads. The glider can change direction while it flies, making it very hard to stop.

The Dark Eagle does not use an explosive charge to cause damage. Instead, it hits so fast that the impact energy alone does the work. It is the main long-range rocket weapon used by the United States Army today.

Fun Facts

The Dark Eagle flies at more than 17 times the speed of sound — that is faster than a speeding rifle bullet!
The rocket stack is 12 meters long, longer than a full-size school bus.
It can travel 2,775 kilometers — about the distance from New York City to Los Angeles — in just minutes.
The Dark Eagle carries no explosive charge; its super-fast impact does all the damage.
It launches from a big road-driving truck, so it can move around and hide easily.
Two companies, Lockheed Martin and Dynetics, teamed up to build this system starting in 2017.
The glide body can steer itself while flying, making it very tricky to stop.
The Dark Eagle was first deployed in November 2023, making it one of the newest weapons of its kind.

Kids’ Questions

What makes the Dark Eagle so special?

The Dark Eagle flies at more than 17 times the speed of sound. Almost nothing can catch or stop it once it is in the air. It can also steer itself while gliding, which makes it even harder to block.

How does it work without an engine on the glider?

A powerful rocket booster launches the glider and gets it going super fast. After the booster falls away, the glider coasts all the way to its target on its own. Think of it like throwing a paper airplane really, really hard.

Why does it not need an explosive charge?

When something moves at 17 times the speed of sound, it carries a huge amount of energy. That energy on impact is powerful enough all by itself. So no extra explosive charge is needed.

Who built the Dark Eagle?

The United States Army led the project. Two companies, Lockheed Martin and Dynetics, helped design and build it. They worked on it together from 2017 all the way to 2023.

Variants

LRHW (Army, ground-launched): Road-mobile TEL launch. Service entry 2024.
CPS (Navy, sea-launched): Conventional Prompt Strike. Submarine + Zumwalt destroyer launch. Service entry 2025+.

Notable Operators

US Army (2024-present): 1st Multi-Domain Task Force. Indo-Pacific deployment planned.
US Navy (CPS, 2025+): Zumwalt-class destroyers + Virginia-class submarines.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes the LRHW hard to intercept?

Three factors. (1) Speed — at Mach 17+ the glide vehicle has only seconds between detection + impact, insufficient for most ABM systems to launch + intercept. (2) Manoeuvring — unlike a ballistic missile (which follows a predictable parabolic trajectory), the hypersonic glide vehicle manoeuvres during glide, complicating predicted-impact-point calculations. (3) Low altitude — the glide path is ~30 km altitude (vs ICBM ~1,000 km apogee), placing the threat below most ground-based ABM radar tracking envelopes + outside the engagement zone of exo-atmospheric interceptors like THAAD or SM-3. The LRHW is intended as a long-range strike weapon against time-sensitive targets — air-defence sites, command bunkers, mobile launchers — that conventional cruise missiles take too long to reach.

Sources

Wikipedia — Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon