WASHINGTON, June 23, 2026 — The U.S. Army is expanding its inventory of Dark Eagle hypersonic missiles following an $83.2 million contract modification awarded to Lockheed Martin Space on June 22, 2026.
The contract, awarded by the U.S. Navy’s Strategic Systems Programs office under existing contract N00030-22-C-1025, supports the procurement of additional All-Up Rounds (AURs) for the Army’s Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) program. AURs are fully assembled, ready-to-fire missile systems.
The Army obligated approximately $79.3 million in Fiscal Year 2025 Missile Procurement funds, highlighting the program’s transition from development and testing to operational fielding and stockpile expansion. Work under the contract is scheduled to continue through June 30, 2029.
Production Across Multiple States
Manufacturing will be distributed across several locations in the United States. Lockheed Martin’s facility in Denver, Colorado, will perform 31 percent of the work, followed by Magna, Utah (26 percent), Cortland, Alabama (14 percent), East Aurora and Owego, New York (14 percent combined), Simsbury, Connecticut (10 percent), Sunnyvale, California (2 percent), and other locations (3 percent).
The production effort supports manufacturing of specialized components, including thermal protection systems, solid-fuel propulsion elements, and guidance electronics.
Dark Eagle Hypersonic Weapon
Dark Eagle is a ground-launched hypersonic missile system that shares the Common Hypersonic Glide Body (C-HGB) with the Navy’s Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) program.
The C-HGB, developed by Dynetics, separates from a two-stage solid-fuel booster produced by Lockheed Martin and maneuvers toward its target at speeds exceeding Mach 5 after launch.
The Army plans to field Dark Eagle in mobile batteries consisting of four M983 launcher trucks carrying a total of eight missiles, supported by a command vehicle.
Program Progress
The program experienced a flight-test setback in June 2022, leading to booster redesign efforts. A successful end-to-end CPS flight test on December 12, 2024, validated the weapon system and supported its transition into production.
In April 2026, Lockheed Martin received a separate $1.36 billion contract modification covering missile production, systems integration, and long-lead materials through October 2032.
The 5th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, has been designated as the first operational Dark Eagle unit.
On April 29, 2026, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) reportedly requested deployment of Dark Eagle to the Middle East after Iranian missile launchers were moved beyond the range of the Army’s Precision Strike Missile system.
The latest contract modification supports the continued production of operational Dark Eagle missiles as the Army builds its hypersonic weapon inventory.
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