(Bloomberg) — The Pentagon testing office said it won’t get enough data to evaluate the combat effectiveness of the US’s first hypersonic missile until early next year, another troubling sign as the US struggles to catch up with China and Russia in deploying the weapon.
Tests so far of the Army’s Dark Eagle haven’t produced enough data to determine its “operational effectiveness, suitability and survivability,” according to the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation. Also unknown is its ability to withstand a cyber-attack, the office found.
The testing office forecasts that it will get sufficient data after operational testing is completed in March, 2027. In January, the Army had said it planned to field the weapon this year.
The conclusions are part of the office’s annual report, which is scheduled to be published in the coming days. The insufficient data is another concerning development for a weapon that was initially forecast to be ready in September, 2023. Lockheed Martin Corp. and a unit of Leidos Holdings Inc. are the prime contractors of the program, which is estimated to cost more than $10.4 billion.
China and Russia are far ahead of the US in developing hypersonic missiles, which are capable of flying faster than five times the speed of sound and are far more difficult to intercept than slower missiles. Russia has reported using hypersonic missiles as part of its invasion in Ukraine.
An Army spokeswoman said in a statement that the service cannot “comment on a report before it is finalized and publicly released.” On Dec. 17, the Army announced “a significant advancement of its military capabilities” when it activated a battery that operates the missile. It didn’t mention at the time that the missiles weren’t ready.
The Army has repeatedly failed to demonstrate the Dark Eagle system’s success in real-world testing. Tests in 2023 and 2024 were marred by launcher, launch sequence and missile production quality issues, according to the Government Accountability Office.
The annual report includes a letter from, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll commenting on its findings. The letter didn’t address the hypersonic program but said the Army “is committed to accelerating the delivery of effective capabilities to our soldiers, an objective that requires the active cooperation of your office.”
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