UK-Germany startup tests hypersonic missile

Hypersonica, a UK-Germany startup, has successfully tested a hypersonic missile prototype, just nine months after it was first designed. 

Announced on 10 February by the company, the test is the first of its kind conducted by a privately-backed European company. 

The launch itself took place at the Andøya Space launch site in Norway, with the prototype reaching speeds over Mach 6 (7,400km/h) covering a distance of over 300km. 

The company’s modular approach is the centrepiece of its prototype, enabling fast upgrades, and shortened development cycles. This reduces costs by “over 80% compared with conventional approaches”, the company says. 

Commenting on the launch, the company emphasised all the systems operated within normal parameters within both the ascent and the descent. 

In a joint statement, Hypersonica co-founders, Dr Philipp Kerth and Dr Marc Ewenz, said that the nine-month window between design and launch “should recalibrate expectations about the costs and time needed” to develop a hypersonic capability.  

Kerth and Ewenz went on to call it “a proud moment for European defence innovation”, with the test flight paving the way to help deliver Europe’s first hypersonic strike capability by 2029.  

This aligns with the timelines set out in the UK’s 2030 hypersonic framework, which seeks to develop a home-grown hypersonic capability. 

Next steps in pursuit of this goal include a phased approach to research and development, with successive test flights to come. 

These will further hone hypersonic flight development, while also demonstrating advanced flight control and complex manoeuvres at hypersonic speeds, ahead of achieving full mission readiness, the company says.