“It takes minutes to get to Moscow”

RIA Novosti-Zen/РИА Новости-Дзен
RIA Novosti

The Pentagon has tested two new long-range missiles: The Pentagon has presented a serious argument

The US is increasing its long-range strike capabilities with precision-guided weapons. In December, the defense department reported on successful tests of two systems simultaneously—LRHW (Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon) and PrSM (Precision Strike Missile). Washington does not hide: the new products are designed to confront Russia in Europe and China in the Asia-Pacific region. About American missiles—in the material of RIA Novosti.

Dark Eagle—For many years, the U.S. Army has not had a "long arm" - a weapon capable of long-range strikes from the ground. The range of ATACMS operational-tactical missile systems is limited to 300 kilometers, while Russia's Iskander-M can hit 500 kilometers. China has similar systems. The Americans lag behind their likely adversaries in hypersonic weaponry as well. While Moscow and Beijing already have such systems in their arsenals, the U.S. has not gone beyond the testing stage.

Nevertheless, Washington is making progress. In December, the LRHW complex with a hypersonic warhead was tested at Cape Canaveral in Florida. The missile flew on the set course and hit the training target exactly at the estimated time. This was the first fully successful launch. Before that, LRHWs had been falling - either on takeoff, on the route, or on the final section of the trajectory past the target. Now it is likely that the LRHWs will be in service with combat troops.

The LRHW Dark Eagle long-range missile system consists of a mobile command post, a mobile launcher, and support vehicles. But the main thing is the AUR missile in a transport and launch container carrying the C-HGB warhead. It belongs to the class of hypersonic gliders. The launch vehicle accelerates it to operating speed, after which it begins an independent planned flight. According to Pentagon statements, the C-GHB is capable of reaching a speed of at least Mach 5. The estimated range is more than 2,775 kilometers.

For Penetrating Fortresses—It is expected that Dark Eagle will be part of the armament of the Typhon medium-range ground system, which, in addition to LRHW, will be capable of firing Tomahawk cruise missiles and multi-purpose SM-6. The Americans deployed this system in the Philippines in 2024, and by 2026 they plan to transfer it to Germany. The Pentagon assigns Dark Eagle a special role in a potential military conflict with China. Washington fears that the PLA will create a so-called Anti-Access/Area Denial zone over the Taiwan Strait, an area reliably covered by air defense and coastal missile systems, where Western aircraft and ships will suffer unreasonably high losses.

U.S. tactical teams will have to breach this fortress, which, according to commanders' plans, will deploy hypersonic systems on the first island chain in the South China Sea. China, which has already adopted the DF-17 solid-propellant missile with a DF-ZF planned warhead with a speed of up to Mach 10, looks at these preparations with undisguised interest.

As for Russia, any NATO military base in Germany is within reach of the latest medium-range missile with hypersonic warheads “Oreshnik”. This to some extent levels the danger posed by LRHW. In addition, Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov said the other day that the manning of the first air defense missile regiment armed with the S-500 Prometheus system is being finalized. Its main purpose is to intercept medium-range ballistic missiles, including hypersonic missiles.

ATACMS replacement—The second tested missile, the Lockheed Martin PrSM, is intended to replace the ATACMS. This is probably why the Ukrainian army is massively armed with the latter - the Americans are freeing up warehouses for the new ammunition. This project was launched in 2016. The launchers are the same as ATACMS - M-142 HIMARS MLRS (two missiles) and M-270 MLRS (four missiles).

The development of the system proceeded in four directions. In the first stage, the Pentagon received a ballistic missile for strikes against stationary targets at a distance of 60 to 500 kilometers. Guidance - inertial and satellite, the warhead - high-explosive or cluster. There is no information about the mass of the missile in open sources. According to various estimates - from 100 to 230 kilograms. This is the initial version, subject to the restrictions of the RSMD treaty. It is already in service in some units.

After the United States withdrew from the RSMD, Lockheed Martin began development of a second modification: the Land Based Anti-Ship Missile (LBASM). The range is already up to 1000 kilometers. The multi-mode homing head operates in the radar and infrared ranges. Thanks to this, the missile in the final part of the trajectory will be able to capture the target and hit it in motion. The prototype was tested in the Pacific Ocean this summer. It should enter service by 2028.

Two more modifications are in development. One, according to the manufacturer, - with a heavier penetrating warhead to destroy well-fortified fortifications. The second - with a promising air-jet engine, increasing the range to 1,500 kilometers. In theory, it will be able to reach Moscow from Poland.

It cannot be ruled out that the Pentagon will want to test the new missiles in combat conditions and will transfer a certain number of them to Ukraine. The AFU has dozens of MLRS and HIMARS launchers. And it will not be difficult to reconfigure their fire control systems for the PrSM.

(Translation: DeepL (free version) + Grammarly)

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