The US is preparing a new hypersonic missile in case it has to reach targets deep in Iran

Russia's been firing hypersonic weapons at Ukraine for four years. The United States has never fired one in combat. But that gap may be about to close in the Middle East.

Recently released footage is reported to be the first ever showing the Dark Eagle missile mounted on a B-1, a clear sign the Air Force is moving forward with integrating hypersonic weapons onto one of its most capable bombers.

U.S. Central Command has asked the Pentagon to deploy Dark Eagle, the Army's long range hypersonic weapon, to the region.

The catalyst appears to be intelligence showing Iran has repositioned ballistic missile launchers beyond the reach of existing U.S. strike systems. The U.S.' existing Precision Strike Missile tops out around 300 miles of range. Dark Eagle reaches roughly 1,700. It can also be deployed using mobile ground launchers.

The Dark Eagle is a boost glide system. A rocket fires it into the upper atmosphere, then it maneuvers at five times the speed of sound or faster on the way down. It has no ballistic arc, no predictable path, and gives only seconds of warning time at best.

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Dark Eagle has never been used in combat. Fielding only began in December, and Pentagon testers have formally noted insufficient data on readiness and lethality.

CENTCOM's request is under Pentagon review, status currently unknown.

Meanwhile, Russia has fired its Kinzhal hypersonic missile nearly 100 times at Ukraine. There, unlike Iran, most of Putin's hypersonics are intercepted by U.S. Patriot missiles or Ukrainian electronic warfare defenses. Iran's hypersonic defenses presumed to be non-existent.