The US Department of Defense is preparing to put into service a new strike system LRHW Dark Eagle (long-range hypersonic weapon "Dark Eagle"). It consists of a ballistic missile with a hypersonic gliding unit capable of reaching speeds of up to Mach 5. The question is whether the Russian S-400 and S-500 SAM systems will be able to intercept it, writes Bulgarian Military.
The S-400 Triumph and the newer S-500 Prometheus are among the most powerful in the world, but they have significant limitations when it comes to dealing with hypersonic threats.
As Bulgarian Military notes, the main advantage of the Dark Eagle is its hypersonic speed. The S-400 and S-500 are capable of intercepting missiles and aircraft flying at speeds of at least Mach 5, but they are unlikely to cope with the Dark Eagle maneuvering at such speeds.
Missiles move along predictable trajectories, and the S-400, S-500 can intercept them. But for hypersonic weapons capable of changing course at high speeds, the capabilities of SAM systems are not enough.
Read also on the topic:
Dark Eagle with ballistic missile LRHW AUR: how can Russia defend itself from a new threat
SAM S-500 "Prometheus": designed to destroy ATACMS, SCALP-EG and R-360 "Neptune" missiles
THAAD and Arrow-3 will not intercept: Western SAM systems will be powerless against "Oreshnik"