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Berlin and Washington have agreed that American cruise and ballistic missiles will be stationed in Germany for the first time since the Cold War. According to analysts, the Pentagon wants to deploy Dark Eagle missiles capable of attacking objects deep in Russian territory, writes Spiegel.
The agreement reached between the US and Germany very vaguely states that in addition to Tomahawk cruise missiles and short-range SM-6 missiles, it is planned to deploy "hypersonic weapons currently under development." However, experts such as Ulrich Kühn, head of research on arms control and new technologies at the Institute for Peace and Security Policy (IFSH) at the University of Hamburg, are convinced that the hypersonic weapons in question are Dark Eagle ballistic missiles.
So far, very little is known about this weapon. The new hypersonic system of the Americans consists of a rocket engine (acceleration device) and a special warhead that detaches when the fuel in the accelerator runs out. At the same time, the warhead remains maneuverable to the end and is able to evade attempts to intercept it.
Dark Eagle is believed to be able to soar into the exosphere, which begins at an altitude of about 400 kilometers, and race towards its target at speeds of more than 6000 km/h - five times the speed of sound. "A hypersonic rocket can fly even faster," says Markus Schiller, a rocket expert and lecturer at the Bundeswehr University in Munich.
"Two authors from the respected London think tank IISS even believe that American weapons have a range of more than 3000 kilometers. Launched from Germany, these missiles can reach targets deep in Russia, including Moscow," writes Spiegel.
However, the map with the range of Dark Eagle missiles published by the newspaper shows that they will reach not only Moscow, but also the Urals.
The development of the American hypersonic missile was obviously labor-intensive: there were several problems during tests with the Dark Eagle. On June 28 of this year, the US Department of Defense announced a success: it said that a hypersonic missile took off from a ground station in the Hawaiian Islands and flew about 3200 kilometers. The glider with the warhead detached as planned and flew to a test site in the Marshall Islands.
The system is expensive: in 2023, the US Congressional Budget Office estimated the cost of one Dark Eagle missile at US$41 million.
The US will place its missiles in Germany
As he wrote, the USA will start deploying long-range weapons in Germany in 2026 in order to strengthen NATO and ensure European defense. This is stated in the joint statement of the two countries.
Russia, which has been systematically bombarding Ukraine with long-range missiles of all types for two and a half years, has already begun to threaten Germany over these plans.
