UK wants to create its first hypersonic rocket

The UK Ministry of Defence plans to arm its army with its own hypersonic cruise missile by 2030.

Here's What We Know

The UK wants a missile that can reach speeds of more than Mach 5 to keep up with the US, China and Russia, which already have similar weapons.

The Ministry of Defence insists that the new weapon should be developed and manufactured in the UK, and the army should adopt the missile by the end of the decade. As noted, plans for the UK's own hypersonic missile are still at an early stage, and no decision has been made on whether it will be launched from land, sea or air

One option is to mount the missile on aircraft such as the Typhoon or F-35. However, it would then have a smaller range and smaller payload than if it were launched from the ground.

Since the end of last year, the UK Ministry of Defence has been leading a consortium of around 80 companies to develop possible missile designs.

Source: The Telegraph