The target will be designed to represent advanced threats traveling at speeds above Mach 5. It will support future testing and qualification of missile-defense sensors and interceptors.
Lockheed Martin UK will design, manufacture, qualify and test the vehicle at its advanced manufacturing facility. The program marks the UK Ministry of Defence’s return to hypersonic target development after more than a decade.
The contract was awarded by the National Armaments Director Group. It forms part of the UK’s contribution to allied air and missile defense.
The project is expected to support about 63 jobs in Bedfordshire. It will also direct £2 million into the supply chain, with more than one-third going directly to UK small and medium-sized companies.
“Delivering Project Bowline will help ensure the UK stays ahead of rapidly evolving hypersonic threats,” National Armaments Director Rupert Pearce said. “By working with our AUKUS partners and investing in advanced missile technology in the UK, we strengthen our national arsenal, boost a key sector in our economy, and support our ability to deliver effective missile defence.”
Project Bowline was awarded through the MOD’s Science and Technology Oriented Research and Development in Missile Defence contract. The STORM framework is managed by the UK Missile Defence Centre and supports development of new missile-defense capabilities.
Bowline also forms part of cooperation under AUKUS Pillar 2. The UK, United States and Australia are working together through the Hypersonic Flight Test and Experimentation Project Arrangement.
The HyFliTE arrangement is focused on hypersonic and counter-hypersonic technologies. The United States and Australia will provide flight-test expertise, research support and technical peer review.
The program is also intended to rebuild UK expertise in hypersonic systems. That work covers modeling, manufacturing and testing.
The Ministry of Defence said Bowline will strengthen cooperation across industry, small and medium-sized companies and academia. The project also links missile-defense development with domestic defense investment.
“For more than 85 years Lockheed Martin has partnered with the UK to help address complex defence and security challenges,” said Paul Livingston, Chief Executive of Lockheed Martin UK. “The Project Bowline contract and programme highlight the strength of collaboration between government, UK industry, and international partners through the UK Missile Defence Centre, and will support sovereign innovation across the UK, capitalise on existing UK industry capability, and contribute to a more resilient and effective sovereign missile defence capability.”
The planned 2027 flight will provide a test event for future missile-defense systems designed to respond to high-speed threats. It will also give the UK a new domestic capability for developing hypersonic targets within the wider AUKUS technology framework.
