The Pentagon awarded a $14 billion development and initial production contract for the Dark Arrow hypersonic missile system to Lockheed Martin, citing an urgent need to close the gap with China and Russia, which have deployed operational hypersonic weapons since 2019. The contract follows years of troubled development programs and a congressional push to accelerate the timeline.
Dark Arrow is designed to travel at Mach 17 and strike targets anywhere on Earth within 30 minutes, making it virtually impossible to intercept with current missile defense systems. The first operational units are expected to be deployed aboard Navy destroyers and Air Force strategic bombers by 2030.
China has reportedly deployed over 300 hypersonic glide vehicles, and Russia used its Kinzhal hypersonic missile in combat during its war in Ukraine, demonstrating the operational viability of the technology. Defense officials called the program essential to maintaining US deterrence through the next decade.