UK Outlines Hypersonic Weapons Development Strategy

LONDON—The UK government wants a seat at the table in the development of hypersonic weapons and has begun laying out a road map that could lead to the development of a hypersonic strike capability. 

Tender documents published by the UK defense ministry in early July reveal plans to expand the UK’s understanding of hypersonic weapon technologies beyond national efforts made previously for civilian applications. 

It builds on what the documents say is a “clear political intent” set by the British government to pursue hypersonic technologies as part of AUKUS—the defense pact established in 2021 with Australia and the U.S. 

The defense ministry has established a so-called Team Hypersonics that will “pursue advanced hypersonic strike capabilities at pace via three work strands,” the documents say. The strands are buying a hypersonic glide vehicle in conjunction with AUKUS, collaborating on existing hypersonic weapon programs and developing a national sovereign hypersonic weapon capability—likely a hypersonic cruise missile. The documents say the three strands of work are not mutually exclusive and could be pursued independently or at the same time. 

The collaboration and development strands will be done through a Hypersonic Technologies and Capability Development Framework agreement with industry.

This initiative—valued at around £1 billion ($1.3 billion) over seven years—will accelerate the joint U.S./UK hypersonic science and technology initiative, Thresher, and lead into a technology demonstrator through a previously undisclosed program called HyLarc. 

The Framework aims to address what the tender documents describe as “a recognized gap between R&D and capability,” and will help build UK hypersonics technology readiness levels (TRL) up to 9, although the documents note that the HyLarc technology demonstrator will deliver technologies up to TRL 6.  

“The activities will accelerate current capability development timelines and redress the mismatch between the pacing threat and the UK’s lack of a hypersonic strike capability,” the documents add. 

Hypersonics were added to the scope of the AUKUS pact in April 2022, with the aim of expanding existing hypersonics efforts being explored bilaterally between Australia and the U.S. and with the UK and U.S. trilaterally.  

Funding for the UK hypersonics work will come from the £6.6 billion that the defense ministry committed in 2021 to defense R&D, including high-speed missiles. 

The UK defense ministry is developing a procurement and commercial strategy for the Team Hypersonics (UK) program to “secure the hypersonic capability as soon as reasonably possible.” 

The UK’s Defense Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) has had a hypersonic weapons program since 2022 aimed at delivering a hypersonic cruise missile technology demonstrator by the middle of the decade as well as investing in a broader generation after next hypersonic weapon concepts and technologies.  

Separately, DSTL is working with Reaction Engines, Rolls-Royce, the Royal Air Force’s Rapid Capabilities Office and the UK’s National Security Strategic Investment Fund to deliver the Hypersonic Air Vehicle Experimental Program. It was announced at last year’s Farnborough Airshow to establish the UK as a leader in reusable hypersonic air systems. The team is working on critical high-Mach/hypersonic technologies, including novel air-breathing propulsion architectures, innovative thermal management systems and advanced vehicle concepts.