A recent agreement to promote collaboration on cutting edge innovation represents a significant advancement in Britain’s development of a sovereign hypersonic strike capability.
A £1 billion transformational Hypersonic Technologies & Capability Development Framework (HTCDF) agreement has been secured by ninety organizations, both large and small, from academia and industry. The purpose of the agreement is to swiftly develop sophisticated hypersonic missile capabilities for the UK.
The approved organizations on the eight-lot Framework, headed by Team Hypersonics (UK) of the MOD, can now submit bids for contracts; the Framework has a maximum value of £1 billion over the next seven years.
Paul Wilson, Program Director for Team Hypersonics (UK), stated: “Those who wanted to be a part of this iconic national endeavour responded incredibly well. The battlespace is always changing in an unstable world, and the UK MOD understands that we must be flexible in order to ensure that our armed forces can quickly acquire the capabilities they need to defend our interests and those of our allies.
The biggest boost to the UK’s national defence in a generation, the declaration comes after the prime minister announced intentions to spend 2.5% of GDP on defence by 2030, or an extra £75 billion over the next six years.
The UK government stated late last year that it intended to strengthen AUKUS cooperation with Australia and the US while expediting the creation of a sovereign UK hypersonic strike capability. This led to the announcement of the Framework.
A quick route to capability realization is provided by the HTCDF, which is essential for the advancement of hypersonic technology. It chooses vendors to assist with testing, research, and development, moving from different Technical Readiness Levels (TRLs) to full capacity. The framework, which offers services and supplies in the TRL 1 to 9 range, has a strong emphasis on inclusivity by involving both established businesses and SMEs and promoting a diverse pool of talent and creativity both domestically and abroad.
“Hypersonics will be a landmark capability of the future and it is essential we keep pace with the developments of our adversaries,” stated James Cartlidge, Minister of Defence Procurement. The Framework makes it very evident to the UK industry that we intend to develop hypersonics, which is important because small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) will make up approximately 50% of the suppliers.
