- UK aims for hypersonic missile by 2030, reports say
- Preparations underway; launch platform undecided
- Focus on defense technology to counter future threats
The newspaper reports that preparations are in their nascent phase, with no determination yet made regarding the missile’s launch platform (land, sea, or air).
According to a report, Britain intends to furnish its armed forces with an indigenously developed hypersonic cruise missile by the conclusion of the current decade.
The Sunday Telegraph reports that military leaders are under pressure to develop a weapon capable of traveling at velocities greater than Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound. This is to catch up with China, Russia, and the United States.
The Ministry of Defence desires that the missile be designed, manufactured, and put into service in the United Kingdom by 2030.
The newspaper reported that preparations are in their nascent phase, with no determination yet made regarding the missile’s launch platform (land, sea, or air).
It follows the declaration by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to allocate 2.5 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product to defense by 2030.
Although hypersonic speeds are also achievable by ballistic weapons, their maneuverability is unlike that of ballistic weapons, which typically follow predetermined paths, since the trajectory of a hypersonic weapon can be altered post-deployment, rendering it more challenging to extinguish.
In the competition for hypersonic weapons, the United States, Russia, and China are the primary participants, but North Korea and other nations also assert that they have conducted hypersonic weapon tests.
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The advancement of hypersonic capabilities is a component of AUKUS’s Second Pillar, a security and defense accord among the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom.
The United States conducted a hypersonic cruise missile test on an atoll in the Marshall Islands last month as a signal to its Pacific adversary, China. It is the most recent of several hypersonic weapons experiments conducted by the nation in recent times.
Citing national security concerns, a MoD spokesperson declined to provide specifics on the development of the United Kingdom’s hypersonic missile capability. However, they did affirm that the country was pursuing hypersonic technologies to further develop its sovereign advanced capabilities.
They added, “We continue to invest in our equipment to counter present and future threats.”
