Army Spreads Wings With ‘Dark Eagle’ Hypersonic Missile Hardware
The delivery is a significant milestone for the Army's Long Range Precision Fires modernization effort.
The delivery is a significant milestone for the Army's Long Range Precision Fires modernization effort.
The Army’s ERAMS program will soon announce development contracts for howitzer shells capable of firing over 100 km (62 miles) to counter Russian and Chinese artillery.
The nominee for Army Secretary also aims to end “friction” between civilian acquisition officials and Army Futures Command, she told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
The Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon can fly over 2,775 km, an Army official told Breaking Defense. That figure probably applies to the Navy’s CPS version as well.
The Army will create new field artillery battalions in its heavy divisions, armed with the new Extended Range Cannon Artillery (ERCA) armored howitzer. It's part of a plan to add new Long-Range Precision Fire weapons at every level of command.
“We have data collection managers onsite, with stopwatches, [timing] how long does it take the data to get… from Point A to Point B to C,” said Army APNT director Willie Nelson.
The Army will create two new units to coordinate long-range warfare in Eastern Europe: a Multi-Domain Task Force and a Theater Fires Command.
The Army Chief of Staff defended the service’s ambitious modernization program, particularly new armored vehicles and long-range missiles.
“This is a journey to see what's possible, what can we do with today's technologies, for a relatively minor cost,” Gen. John Murray told us. “Project Convergence ’20 cost us about the same thing as one Combat Training Center rotation” -- $23 million.
PrSM is preparing for its first 300-plus-mile flight test this year, while the ERCA cannon and hypersonic LRHW head for key tests in 2023.
“Today, there is probably not one of our regional partners in the first island chain that would be willing to base Army -- or any other service – long-range strike missiles in their country,” retired Lt. Gen. Thomas Spoehr says.
A new strategy paper from Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville says forward-deployed Army forces will survive inside Chinese missile strikes and fatally disrupt the PLA's plans.
“In my career, certainly this is the most amount of modernization I’ve seen,” Brig. Gen. Brian Gibson says. Can multiple Army programs make their 2023 deadline?
The head of INDOPACOM, Adm. Davidson, and the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Air Force Gen. Hyten, seem receptive to a new Army role in long-range strike.