As it seeks to modernize its military, the United Kingdom has unlocked a key milestone: the successful testing of a new engine for hypersonic missiles. This brings London one step closer to entering the elite club of countries that possess hard-to-intercept hypersonic weapons.
Hypersonic weapons travel at more than five times the speed of sound. These cutting-edge weapons combine extreme speed, maneuverability, and low-altitude flight, making them harder to track and detect. The UK, like its allies and rivals, has been working on developing its own hypersonic weapon, and it finally has a breakthrough.
The UK Ministry of Defense (MoD) announced on April 6 that it has successfully completed a major hypersonic propulsion test enabled by close collaboration between the UK government, industry, and the US government. This propulsion system will power Britain’s cutting-edge hypersonic cruise missile concept.
According to the UK MoD press statement, the UK’s Defense Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) and the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) led a collaborative team that conducted 233 successful static test runs at the NASA Langley Research Center in Virginia, USA, with assistance from industry partners, including UK SME Gas Dynamics Ltd.
The rigorous testing lasted six weeks and involved real-time data analysis to improve propulsive performance and modify design elements to guarantee that the propulsion system would be prepared for upcoming system design upgrades.
“The engine is poised to power a cutting-edge hypersonic cruise missile concept and successfully demonstrated the performance of the high-speed air-breathing engine – enabling greater ranges than a conventional rocket – advancing the UK’s hypersonic weapon capabilities,” the MoD noted. An air-breathing engine is a kind of propulsion system that burns atmospheric air instead of an onboard oxidizer.
Lauding the achievement, the British Defense Secretary said, “We are living in a more dangerous world and it has never been more important for us to innovate and stay ahead of our adversaries, equipping our forces with the technologies of the future.” The UK has set the goal of delivering a hypersonic weapon technology demonstrator by 2030.
The development comes as hypersonic weapons have been one of the most sought-after weapons in modern combat scenarios.
Since there is a paucity of information about the British hypersonic weapons program, the hypersonic missile’s launch platform, which could be deployed from warships, fighter planes, or the ground, is uncertain. However, experts speculate the missile could be integrated with the Royal Air Force’s (RAF) F-35 B fighter jets and the futuristic sixth-generation aircraft that the UK is developing along with Japan and Italy.
As of now, the British hypersonic program initiative is directly administered by the MoD headquarters in Whitehall instead of one of the three armed services.
A hypersonic weapon, much faster than conventional cruise missiles, would enable the UK to evade existing air defense systems. This would significantly bolster British combat capability in the face of rising security threats from Russia and an indication from Donald Trump’s administration that it is no longer ‘primarily focused’ on Europe’s security.
Donald Trump’s erratic decision-making and carrot-and-stick approach to dealing with allies have prompted a military rethinking in Europe. Most countries are investing in novel technologies and aiming for self-sufficiency.
The recently achieved ‘hypersonic milestone’ comes as the UK government has made a larger push to spend money on advanced defense technology. Prime Minister Keir Starmer earlier this year pledged the biggest continuous increase in defense spending since the Cold War, which includes the allocation of budgets for next-generation equipment, including hypersonics, directed energy weapons, and air defense.
However, the pursuit of a hypersonic weapon by the British is not new. The MoD has been collaborating with a group of roughly 80 businesses to produce possible designs since late 2023. The Hypersonic Technologies & Capability Development Framework Agreement was introduced as part of a purported “national mission” in December 2023.
Nevertheless, with the new achievement, the UK is inching closer to joining the club of countries that have either fielded hypersonic weapons or are in the process of developing and testing them.
Hypersonic Weapons Are Still A Rage
In recent years, the world has become increasingly interested in developing and/or acquiring hypersonic technologies, especially missiles like Hypersonic Glide Vehicles (HGVs) or Hypersonic Cruise Missiles (HCMs).
Several countries worldwide, including military powerhouses like the US, Russia, and China, have been working on developing and inducting hypersonic weapons. Though Russia and China have already fielded multiple hypersonic missiles, the US has had its fair share of struggles with the development of these weapons and is playing catch-up.
China, for one, tested a ballistic missile that carried a hypersonic glide warhead called the ‘DF-17’ in July 2021. It also has a hypersonic anti-ship missile in its arsenal, known as the ‘YJ-21.’ Experts believe that Beijing could emerge as the world leader in hypersonic capabilities, with at least two additional hypersonic weapons under development: the DF-27 and an air-launched variant of the YJ-21. The DF-27, for one, is a long-range missile that could allegedly penetrate US mainland defenses.
Recently, Chinese H-6K bombers were seen carrying a pair of KD-21 hypersonic weapons.
Russia is now the only country in the world to use hypersonic weapons in combat. The country has three different hypersonic missiles in its arsenal: the Kinzhal, the Tsirkon, and the Avangard. The Kinzhal air-launched hypersonic ballistic missile, extensively fired at Ukrainian targets in the ongoing war, was reportedly intercepted by Ukrainian forces on multiple occasions, thus demolishing the invincibility of hypersonic weapons. That, however, has not discouraged countries from working on their hypersonic weapons.
For instance, all three US services have been investing in developing a hypersonic weapon. The Army and Navy have been collaborating on a shared hypersonic glide body that will serve both the Army’s ground-launched Dark Eagle and the Navy’s sea-launched Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) system.
Though the program has suffered multiple delays, the US Army recently hinted that it might be able to deploy ground-launched missiles to the first unit by the end of fiscal 2025. The weapon’s testing has reportedly been scheduled for December this year.
On the other hand, the US Air Force has had a much harder time developing hypersonic weapons. The service has had two active hypersonic programs, including the Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon, commonly referred to as ARRW, and the Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM). Although the ARRW has since been abandoned, the service conducted an unexpected test of the weapon from Guam last year and received additional funding. The service is reportedly focusing on the HACM.
In addition to these, some developing countries like India are also working on hypersonic technology. In November 2024, India conducted the test launch of the long-range hypersonic missile that can deliver various payloads for ranges over 1500 kilometers. More recently, in January 2025, it successfully completed a ground run for an active-cooled scramjet combustor.
France, on the other hand, is developing the ASN4G, a nuclear-armed, scramjet-powered, air-launched hypersonic cruise missile that will be integrated with the Rafale F5 variant.
There are also others who have allegedly joined the hypersonic bandwagon. Two states that have been reeling under international sanctions have allegedly developed hypersonic weapons: Iran and North Korea. Iran unveiled its Fatah hypersonic weapon in a ceremony in June 2023 and claimed to have used it in its air strike against Israel in October 2024.
North Korea, or the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), on the other hand, test-fired a Hwasong-16B hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) last year. Additionally, in January 2025, it flew a new intermediate-range ballistic missile tipped with a hypersonic warhead. At the time, it claimed that its missile flew at 12 times the speed of sound, for nearly 1,500 kilometres.
If all goes well, the UK will also successfully become a hypersonic state with a near-invincible weapon to better protect its military and that of its allies.
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