What Is Dark Eagle Hypersonic Missile U.S. May Use in Iran War?

The U.S. military has requested that the hypersonic weapon Dark Eagle be deployed to the Middle East in a reported development that could give the U.S. longer-range strike options inside Iran.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) made the request for the Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW), according to Bloomberg and other outlets that have teased the first operational deployment of America's hypersonic missile.

Neither the Pentagon nor the White House, both of which Newsweek has contacted for comment, have confirmed the reports that come amid concerns that Iranian ballistic missile launchers have been moved beyond the range of U.S. systems.

If deployed, Dark Eagle would expand the U.S. military's ability to strike distant targets with little warning as it reportedly gave President Donald Trump new options to deliver a "final blow against Iran amid stalled negotiations to free up the Strait of Hormuz.

“I think the Dark Eagle deployment is a bit of combat theater,” Bryan Clark, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, a Washington think tank, told Newsweek on Friday. “The Army wants the chance to demonstrate it in a combat environment, albeit against a poorly equipped adversary.”

Two months after launching a joint operation with Israel against Iran, Trump extended a ceasefire as Tehran insists it would retain control over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and maintain its nuclear and missile capabilities.

Dark Eagle's Specifications

If approved, the Dark Eagle would mark the first deployment of a U.S. hypersonic weapon. The long-range weapon, which is listed as being under development and not yet operational, would be able to target Iranian missile launchers thought to have been moved beyond the reach of the U.S. systems in place.

That includes the U.S. Army's Precision Strike Missile (PrSM), which can strike targets more than 300 miles away, according to Bloomberg. Officially designated as the Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW), Dark Eagle missiles cost at least $15 million each, with some estimates putting the price tag a lot higher.

A single battery, which includes launchers and support equipment, is said to cost around $2.7 billion, according to Army Recognition, a military website. The missile was test-launched in Florida in April 2025. The Congressional Research Service (CRS) said at the time that each Dark Eagle missile unit will consist of four launchers armed with eight missiles.

The LRHW system has a mobile launcher, a solid-fuel booster and the hypersonic glide body, Army Recognition said. Lockheed Martin is the main contractor integrating the system, while Sandia National Laboratories worked with the Navy on its glide body and Aerojet Rocketdyne provides propulsion.

The launcher is mounted on an M870 trailer towed by a Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT) truck. Each launcher carries two missiles. The missile uses a two-stage booster to reach hypersonic speed before releasing the C-HGB (Common-Hypersonic Glide Body).

The system uses a hypersonic glide vehicle that travels at speeds exceeding Mach 5-five times the speed of sound-and can maneuver while in flight, making it difficult to intercept.

As well as its speed and agility, it has a reported range of about 1,700 miles, which means it can strike deep inside enemy territory, giving the U.S. an advantage in targeting Iranian air defense systems, command centers and missile launch sites.

Dark Eagle is part of a push by the Pentagon to respond to missile developments by China and Russia, which already have begun fielding systems such as the DF-17 and Avangard.

Clark said that Pentagon leaders “may try to convince themselves and others that, like the use of PRISM, JASSM-ER and other high-end strike weapons employing Dark Eagle is also a way to show China that our weapons work. There is some value in that, but not at the expense of using up most of the available inventory.”

Safe embed will be rendered here

Strait of Hormuz traffic – 4/26/2026

Service URL: https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/28075349/embed

2026 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.

This story was originally published May 1, 2026 at 7:20 AM.