Britain to Deploy Homegrown Hypersonic Missile by 2030

Military chiefs want a weapon capable of reaching speeds exceeding Mach 5 as the Government races to catch up with China, Russia and the US.

According to the Telegraph, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has insisted that the new weapon be designed and built entirely in Britain and is understood to have set a deadline of 2030 for it to enter service.

The project has been identified by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, as one destination for a planned £75 billion uplift in the defence budget over the next six years.

A government defense source said: “Cutting-edge projects like this are only possible because of the massive new investment the Government has made this week in defense innovation.

“With Labour refusing to match our investment, continuing this project would be impossible under Keir Starmer – the military would be forced to cut the hypersonic program, in a move that would make Putin’s dreams come true.”

The missile plans are understood still to be at an early stage, with no decision taken so far on whether it would be launched from land, sea, or air.