Hypersonic technology involves long-range missiles capable of travelling over five times the speed of sound and being launched from land, sea, or air. The HyFliTE Project will allow the three nations to share resources, expertise, and facilities to expedite progress in this critical defence domain.
“This landmark agreement with our US and Australian allies highlights our shared commitment to staying at the forefront of defence technology,” UK Defence Secretary John Healey said. “By combining our resources and expertise, we are accelerating the development of essential hypersonic capabilities that will keep us ahead of adversaries on the battlefield.”
The initiative will focus on key enabling technologies such as advanced propulsion systems, high-temperature materials, and precision guidance mechanisms. Heidi Shyu, US Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, remarked, “Collaborative efforts are accelerating the development of underpinning enabling technologies, such as high-temperature materials, advanced propulsion systems, and guidance and control.”
As part of the agreement, up to six trilateral hypersonic flight test campaigns will be conducted by 2028, supported by a funding pool of $252 million. The wider Hypersonic Technologies and Capability Development Framework (HTCDF) involves over 90 suppliers across the AUKUS nations and European allies, with a commercial scope reaching up to $1.2 billion.
The partnership builds on existing collaborations such as SCIFiRE (Southern Cross Integrated Flight Research Experiment), a US-Australia bilateral programme initiated in 2020 to develop a hypersonic cruise missile. These efforts underscore the growing emphasis on hypersonic technologies as a vital element of modern defence strategies.
AUKUS, established in 2021, aims to deepen cooperation on advanced military capabilities, including cyber technologies, artificial intelligence, quantum science, and undersea capabilities.
