UK brings 90 companies into $1.25 billion hypersonic missile programme

13th May 2024 - 17:00 GMT | by Shephard News Team in London

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The UK is looking to develop an indigenous hypersonic capability. (Image: DE&S)

The Hypersonic Technologies & Capability Development Framework (HTCDF) agreement was first announced in 2023 in an effort to accelerate the development of a sovereign UK strike capability.

Ninety companies have been accepted into the UK’s £1 billion HTCDF agreement, set up to rapidly develop advanced hypersonic missile capabilities where firrns can bid for contracts within the programme.

The framework agreement is designed to provide a faster route to achieve capability and will select suppliers all the way through to a final weapon system with the award of contracts managed through competitive processes at the MoD's DE&S agency.

The framework hopes to enable focussed research to be spirally developed through varying Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) from very low to ready for operations, specifically TRL 1-9.

The HTCDF will reopen to new suppliers every six to 12 months so the MoD can draw upon new technologies and emerging market capabilities.

Alongside established weapons manufacturers and academic institutions, nearly half of the suppliers will be small and medium enterprises and, according to DE&S, this is designed “to leverage the strength and breadth of UK and international talent and innovation across the defence enterprise".

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