US To Deploy Dark Eagle Hypersonic Missile To Strike Iran For The First Time
- 30.04.2026, 7:38
Tehran has hidden launchers beyond the range of available missiles.
The U.S. Central Command has asked to send a hypersonic Dark Eagle missile to the Middle East for possible use against Iran. If the request is approved, it would be the first combat deployment of a U.S. hypersonic weapon in history.
According to Bloomberg.
Why the Dark Eagle is needed
Iran has moved its ballistic missile launchers deep inside the country - beyond the range of the Precision Strike Missile, which hits targets more than 480 kilometers away. The Dark Eagle has a much longer range of more than 2,775 km, although exact specifications are classified.
The missile is designed by Lockheed Martin, flies at more than five times the speed of sound and is capable of maneuvering to avoid interception. One missile costs about $15 million dollars and there are no more than eight in total. The cost of a single battery is estimated at $2.7 billion.
Signal to Russia and China
The deployment of the Dark Eagle will also have a strategic dimension - it will signal to Russia and China, which have long had their own hypersonic systems, that the US is finally capable of meeting the challenge. The missile was originally developed precisely to confront these countries.
Context: truce, but preparing for strikes
A truce has been in effect between the US and Iran since April 9, but the request indicates that Washington is preparing for new strikes if Trump decides to do so. Analysts at Bloomberg Economics estimate that both sides have used the pause to rearm, and possible new rounds of fighting could be more devastating.
The U.S. has already spent about 1,100 JASSM-ER cruise missiles in the conflict. Although U.S. aircraft are operating under local air supremacy, dozens of MQ-9 drones and several manned fighters have been shot down - indicating that Iranian air defenses remain in place in some areas.
Iran is using a sophisticated $800 million oil smuggling scheme, passing off its tankers as Iraqi vessels to stealthily pass through the naval blockade. This was revealed by analysts who used artificial intelligence to detect a whole "cluster" of offending vessels west of the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. President Donald Trump has reiterated his intention to increase pressure on Tehran. On April 29, he said the naval blockade will continue until Iran agrees to a new nuclear deal. Washington is demanding a complete halt to its uranium enrichment program, while Tehran calls it its "sovereign right."
The Iranian side is offering to open the strait in exchange for access to its ports. According to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the offer is not bad, but Iran wants to postpone a solution to the nuclear issue "for later," which does not suit the United States.