Australian company to build hypersonic UAV for Pentagon

A small Australian technology company has been recruited by the US Defence Department to supply a vehicle to test fearsome hypersonic missiles, according to 9news.

Sydney-based Hypersonix Launch Systems will build a reusable aircraft for the Pentagon that is capable of speeds of between Mach 5 (6,174 km/h) and Mach 7 (8,600km/h), making it able to outpace conventionally-powered aircraft and missiles, 9news reports.

Flying between Mach 5 and Mach 7 would enable an aircraft to travel the 6,580 km from Sydney to Perth and back in about one hour.

"Our longer-term focus is to capture a slice of the emerging multi-billion-dollar commercial market for the deployment of small satellites, but clearly Australia's strategic defence allies see immediate potential in our technology," the company’s managing director David Waterhouse said.

"This is our first major contract and a key step in our commercialisation process – we couldn't be happier. This puts Australia one step closer to being a major player in the international space race," he added.