The United States is evaluating the deployment of the hypersonic Dark Eagle missile in the Middle East for the first time, with the aim of using it against Iran amid the ongoing conflict.
According to Bloomberg, the request—made by U.S. Central Command—argues for deploying a hypersonic missile in the region, stating that the Iranian regime has moved its launchers beyond the range of the Precision Strike missile, which can hit targets more than 480 km away.
The Dark Eagle, by contrast, has a stated range of over 2,700 km. If approved, the move would mark the first time the U.S. has deployed a hypersonic missile, which has not yet been declared fully operational.
According to the Library of Congress, the Dark Eagle, the Army’s Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon, was designed specifically for “long-range conventional precision strike capability” against “time-sensitive and heavily defended targets.”
Each missile costs around $15 million, and the United States has only eight in stock, according to a source cited by Bloomberg. Meanwhile, each battery also costs about $2.7 billion, the outlet reported.
The request has not yet been made public through official channels, but it comes as the U.S. and Iran have had a ceasefire in place since April 8. President Donald Trump, however, has repeatedly threatened to reignite the war with renewed military action, while negotiations for a peace agreement remain at a standstill.
Photo: U.S. Army. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
