US Army launches hypersonic missile from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station

The U.S. Army launched an undisclosed hypersonic missile from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force station last week, just days after naming its new hypersonic weapon the "Dark Eagle."

Dark Eagle is the colloquial name for the U.S. Army's Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW), a surface-to-surface missile that carries a hypersonic glide body, a vehicle capable of carrying warheads and maneuvering as it travels at speeds greater than five times the speed of sound through Earth's atmosphere. Because of their speed and maneuverability, these types of weapons are much more difficult to defend against than traditional missiles.

The U.S. Army did not disclose any details about the test, the existence of which was learned largely through airspace closure notices issued by the Federal Aviation Administration for Friday, April 25. It's unknown if this launch was the "Dark Eagle," although the Army launched the same missile from the Cape late last year.

However, some Space Coast photographers were able to snap a few pictures of what appears to be the launch. Photographer Jerry Pike posted four photos to X that appear to show the Dark Eagle/LRHW launching from Cape Canaveral out toward the Eastern Range, the airspace that supports launches from the U.S. East Coast.

"Shortly after liftoff, the vehicle split into two distinct sections, with one appearing to tumble away, and the other continuing to propel itself forward until it disappeared into the sky," Pike wrote in the post. It's unclear what the fallen piece could have been, but the LRHW is a two-stage rocket; it's possible Pike caught the first stage falling away.

The U.S. Army just announced the name "Dark Eagle" for the LRHW on April 25. According to an Army statement, the word "dark" reflects the missile's ability to render obsolete adversary capabilities, including anti-aircraft systems, long-range weapons and communication infrastructure.

"Eagle," meanwhile, owes its name to the bald eagle, the national bird of the United States. The bald eagle, the Army writes, is "a master hunter known for its speed, stealth and agility" and reflects the LRHW's "combination of velocity, accuracy, maneuverability, survivability and versatility."

The U.S. Army last tested the LRHW in December 2024 in another flight from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. That test "achieved hypersonic speed at target distances and demonstrates that we can put this capability in the hands of the warfighter," said Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth in an Army statement.