Apr 28, 2024 08:26 AM
(This post was last modified: Apr 28, 2024 08:28 AM by C C.)
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/uk-develop-hyp...00554.html
INTRO: Britain plans to equip its armed forces with a homegrown hypersonic cruise missile by the end of the decade, according to a report.
Military chiefs are under pressure to catch up with China, Russia and the US by developing a weapon capable of flying at speeds higher than Mach 5 - five times the speed of sound, according to The Sunday Telegraph.
The Ministry of Defence wants the missile to be designed and built in the UK and to enter service by 2030. Plans are at an early stage, the newspaper reported, although there is no decision on whether the missile will be launched from land, sea or air.
It comes after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged to spend 2.5% of gross domestic product on defence by 2030.
Ballistic weapons can also reach hypersonic speeds but the difference is in manoeuvrability - ballistic weapons generally have fixed paths but the path of a hypersonic weapon can be changed after launch, making it difficult to destroy.
The US, Russia and China are the main players in the hypersonic weapons race but other countries, such as North Korea, claim to have tested hypersonic weapons... (MORE - details)
INTRO: Britain plans to equip its armed forces with a homegrown hypersonic cruise missile by the end of the decade, according to a report.
Military chiefs are under pressure to catch up with China, Russia and the US by developing a weapon capable of flying at speeds higher than Mach 5 - five times the speed of sound, according to The Sunday Telegraph.
The Ministry of Defence wants the missile to be designed and built in the UK and to enter service by 2030. Plans are at an early stage, the newspaper reported, although there is no decision on whether the missile will be launched from land, sea or air.
It comes after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged to spend 2.5% of gross domestic product on defence by 2030.
Ballistic weapons can also reach hypersonic speeds but the difference is in manoeuvrability - ballistic weapons generally have fixed paths but the path of a hypersonic weapon can be changed after launch, making it difficult to destroy.
The US, Russia and China are the main players in the hypersonic weapons race but other countries, such as North Korea, claim to have tested hypersonic weapons... (MORE - details)