Hypersonic missiles development accelerated by new contract

A £12 million investment in hypersonic missiles and systems has been made with Warrington-based engineering contractor, Amentum UK.

Supported by Ebeni and Synthetik, based in Wiltshire and London respectively, they will deliver engineering expertise to develop the design for the hypersonic system, which will be demonstrated through flight testing before being adapted into prototype missiles able to operate at extreme speeds and temperatures required for hypersonic flight.

These efforts will build the UK's sovereign hypersonic missile capability, strengthening our national security and our industrial partnership with NATO allies.

The Strategic Defence Review (SDR) highlighted the importance of hypersonic missiles to modern warfighting and the advances announced today will help deliver on the SDR conclusions. Building sovereign capability of these long-range, high-speed precision weapons will help protect the UK and our allies, and boost NATO deterrence.

The Government is delivering the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War, hitting 2.6% of GDP from 2027.

Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry Luke Pollard MP said:

In this new era of threat, we need a new era for defence. This means moving quicker to develop and buy the cutting-edge technologies our Armed Forces need for modern warfighting.

We are making defence an engine for growth. This contract will accelerate the UK's development of sovereign hypersonic missile capability, strengthen our national security and back British workers.

This award builds on significant momentum within the hypersonics programme since July 2024. 124 suppliers, of which over 50% are small and medium enterprises (SMEs), have been awarded 22 contracts across a range of different technology and capability areas to progress our hypersonics capability. The total estimated value of contracts awarded since July 2024 is £48 million, with a notable proportion of funds flowing to SMEs.  

A proportion of the contract will flow directly to SME partners Ebeni and Synthetik, who have been integral to developing the solution from the outset. The partnership includes reverse mentoring arrangements which will reduce barriers to entry for smaller businesses and promote collaborative working across the supply chain. 

Awarding of the contract took only 31 days after the invitation to tender, delivering against the Government's pledge to speed up lengthy procurement processes. The MOD's Commercial X team is fulfilling its mission to deliver ground-breaking technology and innovation quickly, by modernising Defence's approach to acquisition while cutting bureaucracy.

Rupert Pearce, National Armaments Director, said: 

This contract represents exactly the kind of innovative partnership approach that the Defence Industrial Strategy demands, bringing together expertise from across Defence, large companies, SMEs, and academia to deliver at pace.

This Industry Mission Partner model breaks down traditional organisational boundaries and creates the collaborative environment we need to deliver this critical sovereign capability. We are not only advancing our hypersonic ambitions but also strengthening our defence industrial base and supporting jobs across the UK.

Cdr Paul Greason, Team Hypersonics (UK) Programme Director, said:

Successfully launching the Industry Mission Partner contract is a significant achievement for Team Hypersonics (UK).  It follows extensive industry engagement across the Hypersonics Technologies & Capability Development Framework (HTCDF) suppliers to prepare for swift commercial activity to maintain challenging timelines. 

Delivering against our stated intent was as important for MOD as it is for Industry and I am grateful to my team for meeting this challenge which was fundamental to establishing a successful partnership.

Armentum and its subcontractors Ebeni Limited and Synthetik Applied Technologies UK Ltd will work as part of a fully integrated Team Hypersonics, established to deliver MOD's ambition to field a Hypersonic Strike Capability, developing a weapons system demonstrator by the end of the decade.