Pentagon Announces AUKUS Joint Hypersonic Missile Testing
The United States, United Kingdom, and Australia have initiated a collaborative effort aimed at speeding up the testing and deployment of hypersonic missiles. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
The three member states have unveiled a new “landmark” military agreement involving their trilateral military pact aimed at accelerating the testing and deployment of hypersonic missiles and related technologies.
Established in 2021, the AUKUS security partnership consists of the US, UK, and Australia. Under Pillar I, Washington and London committed to supporting Canberra in acquiring nuclear-powered submarines. Pillar II extends into a broader technology-sharing framework potentially involving other nations, including Canada and Japan.
On Monday, simultaneous announcements were made by the Pentagon, Australia’s Department of Defence, and the UK Ministry of Defence regarding a new initiative under Pillar II known as the Hypersonic Flight Test and Experimentation Project Arrangement (HyFliTE).
The HyFliTE project will feature up to six joint test launches by 2028, with a funding pool totaling $252 million. Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Pete Nguyen emphasized that the initiative is designed to expedite testing and utilize combined resources and testing facilities.
“We are enhancing our collective ability to develop and deliver offensive and defensive hypersonic technologies through a robust series of trilateral tests and experiments that will accelerate the advancement of hypersonic concepts and critical enabling technologies,” said Heidi Shyu, US Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.
Currently, the US and UK are trailing behind Russia and China in the development of hypersonic weapons. Russia’s Kh-47 Kinzhal, its first hypersonic missile, was introduced in 2017, followed by China’s DF-ZF in 2019. Russia has also fielded the Avangard strategic range glide vehicles, which can travel at 25 times the speed of sound, since 2019, along with the deployment of its Zircon anti-ship cruise missiles last year.
Both the Kinzhal and Zircon missiles have been utilized in Ukraine, making Russia the first global power to deploy hypersonic missiles in combat. Additionally, Iran recently claimed to have used hypersonic missiles during strikes on Israel.
The US managed its first successful hypersonic missile test in 2017 but has not yet deployed such a weapon, having suffered several aborted tests and canceled projects. The UK is working towards developing and deploying its first hypersonic cruise missile by 2030. Australia has been collaborating with the US on hypersonic projects for over 15 years.
According to London, the new initiative involves over 90 suppliers from the AUKUS nations and their EU allies, with an estimated commercial potential of up to £1 billion.
“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,” stated UK Defence Secretary John Healey, describing the agreement as a “landmark arrangement” that positions the bloc at the “forefront of battle-winning defense technology.”
Meanwhile, Australia referred to the “milestone” HyFliTE agreement as a representation of “new heights of collaboration,” asserting that the planned joint test launches will “accelerate the development of hypersonic concepts and critical enabling technologies.”
However, the announcements regarding the HyFliTE project did not provide specific details regarding which technologies the three nations intend to finalize and test.
Emily Johnson for TROIB News
Established in 2021, the AUKUS security partnership consists of the US, UK, and Australia. Under Pillar I, Washington and London committed to supporting Canberra in acquiring nuclear-powered submarines. Pillar II extends into a broader technology-sharing framework potentially involving other nations, including Canada and Japan.
On Monday, simultaneous announcements were made by the Pentagon, Australia’s Department of Defence, and the UK Ministry of Defence regarding a new initiative under Pillar II known as the Hypersonic Flight Test and Experimentation Project Arrangement (HyFliTE).
The HyFliTE project will feature up to six joint test launches by 2028, with a funding pool totaling $252 million. Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Pete Nguyen emphasized that the initiative is designed to expedite testing and utilize combined resources and testing facilities.
“We are enhancing our collective ability to develop and deliver offensive and defensive hypersonic technologies through a robust series of trilateral tests and experiments that will accelerate the advancement of hypersonic concepts and critical enabling technologies,” said Heidi Shyu, US Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.
Currently, the US and UK are trailing behind Russia and China in the development of hypersonic weapons. Russia’s Kh-47 Kinzhal, its first hypersonic missile, was introduced in 2017, followed by China’s DF-ZF in 2019. Russia has also fielded the Avangard strategic range glide vehicles, which can travel at 25 times the speed of sound, since 2019, along with the deployment of its Zircon anti-ship cruise missiles last year.
Both the Kinzhal and Zircon missiles have been utilized in Ukraine, making Russia the first global power to deploy hypersonic missiles in combat. Additionally, Iran recently claimed to have used hypersonic missiles during strikes on Israel.
The US managed its first successful hypersonic missile test in 2017 but has not yet deployed such a weapon, having suffered several aborted tests and canceled projects. The UK is working towards developing and deploying its first hypersonic cruise missile by 2030. Australia has been collaborating with the US on hypersonic projects for over 15 years.
According to London, the new initiative involves over 90 suppliers from the AUKUS nations and their EU allies, with an estimated commercial potential of up to £1 billion.
“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,” stated UK Defence Secretary John Healey, describing the agreement as a “landmark arrangement” that positions the bloc at the “forefront of battle-winning defense technology.”
Meanwhile, Australia referred to the “milestone” HyFliTE agreement as a representation of “new heights of collaboration,” asserting that the planned joint test launches will “accelerate the development of hypersonic concepts and critical enabling technologies.”
However, the announcements regarding the HyFliTE project did not provide specific details regarding which technologies the three nations intend to finalize and test.
Emily Johnson for TROIB News
