https://k4i.com/tags/defense-spending/ Recent content in Defense Spending on k4i.com Hugo en-us Wed, 08 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://k4i.com/dark-eagles-price-tag-and-the-congressional-oversight-problem/ Wed, 08 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://k4i.com/dark-eagles-price-tag-and-the-congressional-oversight-problem/ <p>At roughly $41 million per missile in 2023 dollars — and reportedly higher for the first eight missiles requested in the FY2025 budget — the Dark Eagle sits at a price point that makes magazine depth a genuine strategic liability. A single battery holds eight rounds. The arithmetic is uncomfortable.</p> <p>The Congressional Budget Office&rsquo;s January 2023 study on U.S. hypersonic weapons placed the per-unit cost of intermediate-range boost-glide missiles comparable to the LRHW at that $41 million figure for a 300-missile buy. Army program officials confirmed in discussions with the Congressional Research Service that the actual fly-away cost for the initial FY2025 procurement would exceed that estimate. The standard procurement logic applies — costs should fall as production quantities rise — but the Army has not yet demonstrated that production scale is achievable at the pace operational demand would require.</p>