USAF cadet Eric Hembling uses a type of wind tunnel during hypersonic research in Colorado, 2019. Picture: US Department of Defence
Australia, the United States and United Kingdom are to accelerate the development of hypersonic weapons technology as part of their AUKUS alliance.
A hypersonic weapon is defined as one able to travel between five to 25 times the speed of sound or from 1.6km to 8kms a second, and can be launched from land, sea or air.
Russia has reportedly deployed such weapons in its war against Ukraine while China is also believed to have a nuclear-capable weapon.
A statement from the UK Defence Ministry says the joint agreement, or the Hypersonic Flight Test and Experimentation (HyFLiTE) Project, will enable the faster development and testing of hypersonic vehicles.
UK Defence Secretary John Healey describes the new deal as a “landmark” commitment to “staying at the forefront of battle-winning defence technology”.
“By combining our expertise and resources with those of our closest allies, we are accelerating the development of crucial hypersonic capabilities,” he says.
“This work will keep us ahead of our adversaries on the battlefield, enhance our collective security and contribute to maintaining peace and stability in an increasingly complex and dangerous world.”
According to the UK Government, the AUKUS partners will share resources, testing facilities and technical expertise to ensure a defence against rapidly evolving threats.
HyFLiTE will make use of existing national efforts including multiple test flights of hypersonic vehicles.
A US Pentagon spokesman says these national efforts include up to six trilateral flight test ‘campaigns’ by 2028, with a funding pool of US$252 million, which will accelerate testing.
The US Under-Secretary of Defence (Research and Engineering), Heidi Shyu, says these campaigns will enable the AUKUS partners to hasten the delivery of hypersonic weapons.
“Collaborative efforts are accelerating the development of underpinning enabling technologies such as high temperature materials, advanced propulsion systems, and guidance and control,” says Shyu.
“Each of these technologies is integral to the performance of hypersonic weapon systems and provides enhanced operational capability.”
The UK Government says the project will involve deeper sharing of industrial capacity.
DIFFERENT TYPES
There are four main defined types of hypersonic weapons:
- Hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV): missile warheads which glide through the air at high speeds after a ballistic (ground) launch;
- Hypersonic cruise missile: missiles which use air-breathing engines such as scramjets;
- Hypersonic aircraft: using air-breathing engines such as scramjets;
- Guns: firing cannon-launched guided shells such as railguns.
