UK MoD and Hypersonix commit to hypersonic missile deal

The UK MoD has signed a framework contract with Australia’s Hypersonix Launch Systems Ltd as part of its Hypersonic Technologies and Capability Development Framework (HTCDF) initiative.

The HTCDF initiative is intended to speed up development of a UK hypersonic capability in support of the country’s defence services.

The contract with Hypersonix, a large Australian company in hypersonic missile design, has added momentum to the HTCDF initiative.

The UK’s drive towards hypersonic defence was launched as part of former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s commitment to devote 2.5% of GDP on defence by 2030. That commitment has been upheld by new Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, reflecting the agreement of its importance across party lines in the UK.

Hypersonic missiles are seen as a smart technology that could be vital in delivering a robust defence posture in the short-to-medium term. That need for hypersonic robustness is particularly felt in government circles within the UK, as Russian President Vladimir Putin and his ministers recently warned that they could destroy the UK with just three missiles.

Hypersonix was one of the larger players to sign an early framework contract on the initiative. More than 90 framework suppliers have been identified, with almost half of them small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) and many of those based within the UK.

The government will spend £1 billion (US$1.2 billion) over the next seven years to deliver the hypersonic initiative.

Just 12 months before signing contracts for the UK’s initiative, Hypersonix – which specialises in hydrogen scramjet propulsion technology and hypersonic aircraft design – won a contract to deliver the HyCAT programme for the US Defense Innovation Unit (DIU). That will see the DIU build and fly the DART hypersonic test bed.

DART is an aircraft that can travel at Mach 7, fuelled by hydrogen and powered by a single SPARTAN scramjet engine. The US has planned to have the first DART available under the HyCAT programme early in 2025, proving that the race for hypersonic missiles is a key superpower defence priority for the foreseeable future.

At the launch of the HTCDF initiative, UK Team Hypersonics programme director Paul Wilson emphasised the importance of the technology in the future of security.

“The battlespace is continually evolving and the UK MoD recognises the need for agility to ensure we can rapidly develop and deliver the capabilities our Armed Forces need to protect our interests and those of our allies,” Wilson said.

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