U.S. Army Contracting Command Redstone Arsenal awarded a $2.7 billion production contract to support the Dark Eagle long-range hypersonic weapon, marking a major milestone ahead of an accelerated fiscal 2026 fielding timeline.
Speed defines the Army's long-range hypersonic weapon, Dark Eagle. But long before the system moves at hypersonic velocity, precision behind the scenes makes that speed possible.
At the command, a six-person team of contracting and pricing professionals played a central role in navigating a compressed schedule, evolving requirements and complex negotiations to support one of the Army's top modernization priorities.
Dark Eagle represents a significant leap in capability in a complex War Department effort requiring close coordination across development, testing and production.
The milestone reflects a synchronized effort across contracting centers, program executive offices and industry partners, with ACC-Redstone Arsenal at the center of executing the acquisition strategy.
"This development and production contract provides the Army and Navy the ability to achieve optimized pricing across base and option years, allowing the government to buy to budget while maximizing every taxpayer dollar," said Vince Dickens, command branch chief of hypersonic missile and counter-unmanned aerial systems. "The close partnership across contracting, pricing and stakeholders was critical to delivering a successful outcome for the warfighter."
The president's fiscal year 2027 budget request was made public during a briefing at the Pentagon, with $1.5 trillion — the largest request in history — aimed at, among other things, supporting military families, securing the homeland, modernizing equipment, rebuilding the defense industrial base an
Nearly 3,000 cadets participated in the U.S. Air Force Academy's spring culminating exercise, a rigorous, multidomain military training that develops cadets into combat-ready Air Force and Space Force leaders.
Annual influenza vaccines are no longer mandatory, said Secretary of War Pete Hegseth in a video posted on social media. The new mandate follows similar department efforts regarding the COVID-19 vaccine.
Soldiers and airmen who participated in the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympic Games in Italy with the World Class Athlete Program visited the Pentagon, where the athletes also got an unexpected opportunity to meet with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.