MoD set to spend £1 billion boosting UK’s hypersonic missile skill
The weapons – which fly 5 occasions quicker than the velocity of sound – have been the topic of accelerating curiosity amongst western nations due to their use in the war in Ukraine.
The Ministry of Defence has now issued a previous info discover (PIN), promoting to potential suppliers that it hopes to “accelerate development of the United Kingdom hypersonic strike capability”. by establishing a “multi-supplier Hypersonic Technologies & Capability Development Framework Agreement”.
The PIN estimates the price range to be £1 billion.
“This will be a collaborative enterprise approach to accelerate the Ministry of Defence’s (MoD’s) acquisition of an advanced Hypersonic Strike capability,” says the PIN.
“It is anticipated that the Framework will have a value up to £1bn over a seven-year period.”
An “early supplier market engagement day” is to be held this summer season, to permit suppliers to realize extra info and “ensure the success of the hypersonics programme”.
A paper revealed on-line by the UK authorities explains: “There is no universally accepted definition for the term ‘hypersonic missile’, however it is typically used to describe missiles that travel within the Earth’s atmosphere for sustained periods at speeds greater than five times the speed of sound, whilst being able to make significant manoeuvres that change the missile’s direction.”