The United Kingdom has achieved a breakthrough in hypersonic weapons development following the successful completion of extensive testing conducted jointly with the United States.
British scientists, working alongside the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), completed 233 static test runs of a revolutionary propulsion system at NASA's Langley Research Center in Virginia. The six-week testing program explored multiple design variations of an air-breathing engine capable of powering hypersonic cruise missiles at several thousand miles per hour.
The collaborative effort, led by the UK's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) and supported by British company Gas Dynamics Ltd, marks a substantial advancement in the nation's defense capabilities. The engine demonstrated superior range compared to conventional rockets and performed successfully across supersonic to hypersonic speed ranges.
"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," said Defence Secretary John Healey MP, emphasizing the strategic importance of the development.
The achievement reinforces the UK's position within the AUKUS partnership and advances the Ministry of Defence's Team Hypersonics (UK) programme, which aims to deliver a hypersonic weapon technology demonstrator by 2030.
This milestone comes amid the British government's largest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War's end, reflecting growing investment in next-generation military technologies.
Dstl Chief Executive Paul Hollinshead highlighted the tests' success as "a critical advancement in the UK's defence capabilities," noting its particular relevance to AUKUS hypersonic weapon development collaboration.
The real-time data analysis conducted during testing will inform future design refinements, positioning both the UK and US at the forefront of hypersonic weapon technology development.