The news comes as Russia and China have stepped up their respective hypersonic missile programs, with Moscow in particular baffling international security with the so-called SATAN 2 missile capable of carrying multiple warheads at hypersonic speeds. Continued threats on Russian state television show how such weapons can reach the four corners of the globe, attacking most parts of Europe in less than three minutes.
Two defense supergiants, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman, have each been awarded contracts totaling £100 million to develop the technology.
Each contract has been awarded, worth $61 million, for the two giants to co-create the “Glide Phase Interceptor” for regional hypersonic missile defense with Lockheed Martin.
The interceptor is intended to counter a hypersonic weapon during the glide phase of flight.
The biggest challenge is creating a system that can travel at more than Mach 5 and is maneuverable, as unlike traditional Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM), hypersonic weapons can be controlled in flight.
The new interceptors will be designed to fit into today’s ballistic missile defense destroyers.
Speaking about the project during its early stages in May, Naval Vice Admiral Jon A. Hill, Director of the Missile Defense Agency, said: “The mission of the Missile Defense Agency is to develop and deploy a layered missile defense system to target the United States. , his troops, allies and friends against missile attacks in all phases of flight.
“In March 2023, MDA, in partnership with the US Space Force and Space Development Agency, plans to launch two interoperable prototype satellites.
“Those satellites will collect sensor-tracking data to ensure that weak targets, i.e. cruise missiles, can be located from space.”
The admiral added: “If successful, that will be a new and important capability in hypersonic defense.”
The senior officer also mentioned the development of the intercepting ability of the glide phase, which would contribute to the layered defense.
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The race is on between major superpowers to design and deliver hypersonic technology.
China, Russia and the US are leading the way and North Korea is also about to announce its own program.
The US has come under intense pressure as the latest attempt to launch its own hypersonic missile failed in a recent test.
The Defense Post reported that the Common Hypersonic Glide Body test was conducted on the Pacific Missile Range in Hawaii, requiring the weapon to be launched with a large rocket booster.
The US government described the Common Hypersonic Glide Body as using a rocket booster to accelerate above Mach 5 (3,836 mph) speed before jettisoning the spent booster.
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However, in an email quoted in Bloomberg, United States Department of Defense (DoD) spokesman Tim Gorman stated that “an anomaly occurred after the ignition of the test device.”
He also mentioned that officials of the DoD program had launched an investigation into the causes of the failure to inform future hypersonic weapons tests.
Mr. Gorman emphasized, “The department remains confident that it is on track to deploy offensive and defensive hypersonic capabilities on target dates beginning in the early 2030s.”
The failure marks the second reported test flight failure of the Conventional Prompt Strike prototype hypersonic weapon.
The booster’s previous failure last October prevented the rocket from leaving the launch pad.
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In the meantime, a Russian television commentator has called for another “Cuban missile crisis” with the US, “this time with hypersonic missiles” in an effort to force President Joe Biden to stop the flow of weapons to Ukraine.
Andrei Gurulyov said: “At the moment they supply MLRS [Multiple Launch Rocket System]howitzers, they will deliver everything in Ukraine, down to an atomic bomb not to let us win.
“Every relaxation comes after a good crisis, such as the one that followed the Cuban missile crisis.
“Why? Because during the Cuban Missile Crisis there was a direct threat to US territory to which they did not immediately respond.
“We should create similar conditions as the US is behind this and others are on the line.
“We are ahead of anyone with hypersonic weapons, our hypersonic weapons should not only be aboard traditional carriers, but also be brought near the United States.
“With a flight time of up to five minutes, Biden will continue to stutter, but everyone else will think about how to negotiate.”
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