[Anchor]

It has been confirmed that the United States conducted deployment drills last month for its new Dark Eagle hypersonic missile in Guam, which puts China within range. The drills were led by a newly established China-focused command created by the U.S. Army last month.

Reporting from defense specialist reporter Kim Taehun.

[Reporter]

On June 6, the U.S. territory of Guam.

A missile covered by a camouflage net is visible behind a large transporter-erector-launcher.

As the camouflage net is removed and the missile is raised, Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, walks past it with an entourage.

This is the U.S. Army's long-range hypersonic missile, the Dark Eagle.

It is a new weapon with a range of 2,700 km to 3,500 km and a top speed of 20,000 km/h.

It is known to have been developed to target China.

It is difficult to intercept because it flies at speeds reaching 17 times the speed of sound while performing evasive maneuvers.

The U.S. military deployed this Dark Eagle during the multinational Valiant Shield exercise held in Guam last month and even conducted launch drills.

The first public test launch took place in Australia last year, and this time, the drills were conducted openly in Guam, putting China's eastern coast within range, seemingly as a warning to Beijing.

U.S. military media outlets noted that it remains unclear whether the Dark Eagle withdrew from Guam following the exercises, hinting at the possibility of its permanent deployment in Guam.

The unit that led the Dark Eagle training in Guam is the Pacific Multi-Domain Task Force, newly established by the U.S. Army Pacific last month.

Created in preparation for potential clashes with China, the unit is armed with advanced weapons such as short-range interception systems in addition to the Dark Eagle.

[Bernard Harrington / Commander, U.S. Pacific Multi-Domain Task Force : Our units will field unmanned surface vessels, long-range strike drones, and launchers capable of penetrating anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) zones.]

Amid intensifying friction between the U.S. and China over issues such as Taiwan and the South China Sea, Washington's military readiness posture against China is visibly strengthening.

(Video Editing: Jeong Seong-hun, Design: Kang Yun-jung)