AUKUS alliance accelerates hypersonic weapons development

The United States, United Kingdom, and Australia have officially committed to jointly developing and testing hypersonic weapons as part of their defence partnership under the AUKUS agreement, according to a press release issued by the Pentagon on November 18.

Under the “Pillar 2” component of AUKUS, the three nations will share technical data and utilize each other’s testing facilities to advance hypersonic flight tests and experiments, Caliber.Az reports referencing foreign media.

The initiative aims to enhance both offensive and defensive capabilities through a series of collaborative trials.

"This agreement will enable our three nations to develop and deliver hypersonic technologies, both offensive and defensive, through a series of trilateral tests and experiments," stated Heidi Shyu, the US Deputy Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.

The three countries plan to pool their existing advancements, with an ambitious goal of conducting up to six joint flight tests by 2028, backed by a total funding allocation of $252 million. This initiative will focus on critical technologies, including heat-resistant alloys, advanced propulsion systems, and guidance and control mechanisms, all essential for hypersonic weapons development.

Additionally, the collaboration aims to strengthen the collective deterrence capabilities of the US, UK, and Australia. It will provide a unified approach to the development and deployment of hypersonic weapons, ensuring all three nations maintain a cutting-edge technological edge in defence.

This is part of a broader vision set out in September 2021 when the three countries unveiled the AUKUS security partnership, which initially focused on providing Australia with nuclear-powered submarines.

The hypersonic weapons initiative marks the next phase in this trilateral collaboration, underlining the importance of cooperation in advanced military technologies.

By Tamilla Hasanova