In News:

The United States has achieved a major milestone by deploying its Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW), known as Dark Eagle, to Australia’s Northern Territory during the Talisman Sabre 2025 multinational military exercise. This marks the system’s first-ever overseas deployment and represents a critical step in strengthening U.S. deterrence capabilities in the Indo-Pacific.

Features:

• Range & Speed: Approximately 2,700–2,776 km with a reported velocity of up to Mach 17.
• Design: A land-based, road-mobile system comprising four trailer-mounted launchers, each with two missile canisters.
• Warhead: Equipped with the Common Hypersonic Glide Body (C-HGB), an unpowered yet maneuverable glide vehicle capable of evading interception.
• Deployment Capability: Road-mobile, air-transportable (C-17), and integrated with the U.S. Army’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System (IBCS).
• Developers: Jointly developed by Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, with collaboration from the U.S. Navy on the glide body and boosters.
• Mission Role: Designed to penetrate anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) networks, suppress enemy defenses, and engage time-sensitive, high-value targets.

Exercise Talisman Sabre

For the first time, India participated in the 11th edition of Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025, a large-scale Australia-led multinational military exercise. This reflects India’s growing role in the Indo-Pacific security architecture and deepening defense cooperation with like-minded partners.

• Launch & Evolution: Initiated in 2005 as a bilateral drill between Australia and the United States, it has expanded into a premier multinational warfighting exercise.
• Scale: The 2025 edition is the largest-ever, involving over 35,000 personnel from 19 nations including Australia, U.S., India, Japan, France, U.K., and others.
• Geographical Spread: Conducted across Queensland, Northern Territory, Western Australia, New South Wales, and Christmas Island, with a first-ever extension to Papua New Guinea, underscoring wider regional engagement.
• Objective:
  • To uphold a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific.
  • Enhance military readiness, interoperability, and joint operational capabilities.
  • Reinforce regional security cooperation among allies and partners.
• Activities: Includes live-fire drills, amphibious landings, ground maneuvers, air combat, maritime operations, and force preparation exercises, testing joint warfighting capabilities.

Key India-Australia Military Exercises

• AUSINDEX – Naval exercise.
• Pitch Black – Multinational air exercise.
• AustraHind – Bilateral military exercise.

Key India-U.S. Military Exercises

• YudhAbhyas – Joint military training.
• Vajra Prahar – Special Forces exercise.
• Cope India – Air combat exercise.
• Tiger Triumph – Tri-services amphibious exercise.