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Biden to announce US, UK and Australia co-operation on hypersonic weapons
Demetri Sevastopulo in Washington 16 minutes ago
4 minutes
Expansion of trilateral security pact is response to rapid expansion of Chinese military
An artist’s impression of a hypersonic missile provided by aerospace and defence company Raytheon © Raytheon Missiles & Defense/Reuters
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The US, UK and Australia will co-operate on the development of hypersonic weapons, expanding a trilateral security pact designed to help Washington and its allies respond to China’s rapid expansion of its military.
President Joe Biden is preparing to unveil the expansion of the so-called Aukus security pact with Scott Morrison, the Australian prime minister, and Boris Johnson, the British prime minister, according to three people familiar with the situation. One of the people said an announcement could come as early as Tuesday in Washington.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The push to co-operate on the development of hypersonic weapons marks the latest effort to increase co-operation between the three countries to counter the rise of China in the Indo-Pacific. Last year, the states signed a pact for the US and UK to help Australia obtain nuclear-powered submarines.
The agreement comes as the Pentagon steps up efforts on hypersonic weapons after recognising that China has leapt ahead in development of the technology. China has conducted several hundred tests of hypersonic missiles, which fly at more than five times the speed of sound. That is far more than the US military, which has carried out less than a dozen tests.
The FT previously reported that China last year flew a hypersonic weapon around the earth that was boosted into space on a rocket. The weapon — known as a hypersonic glide vehicle — fired a projectile as it flew over the South China Sea. Pentagon military scientists were stunned that China had overcome some of the constraints of the laws of physics that make it very hard to fire a missile from a weapon travelling at such speeds.
In a recent interview with the FT Admiral John Aquilino, head of Indo-Pacific Command, and General James dikkinson, head of Space Command, said the US and Australia were boosting co-operation in space and cyber, partly because of the growing concern about Chinese hypersonic weapons.
“The ability to identify and track, and defend against those hypersonics is really the key,” Aquilino said in Alice Springs ahead of two days of meetings with Australian security and intelligence officials at Pine Gap, a top-secret satellite intelligence facility jointly run by the CIA and Australia.
Hypersonic missiles pose a problem for the US because they can manoeuvre in flight at very high speeds, unlike ballistic missiles which follow a given trajectory that make them easier to intercept.
The system China tested last year made it possible to send hypersonic weapons over the south pole, creating another problem for US missile defences that are intended for missile threats coming from over the north pole.
In the recent interview, Gen dikkinson said his top priority was improving “space domain awareness” — meaning the ability to detect and track missile threats — and that the US and its partners had to invest more in the effort.
Follow Demetri Sevastopulo on Twitter
US tested hypersonic missile in mid-March but kept it quiet to avoid escalating tensions with Russia - CNNPolitics
US tested hypersonic missile in mid-March but kept it quiet to avoid escalating tensions with Russia
(CNN)The US successfully tested a hypersonic missile in mid-March but kept it quiet for two weeks to avoid escalating tensions with Russia as President Joe Biden was about to travel to Europe, according to a defense official familiar with the matter.
The Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC) was launched from a B-52 bomber off the west coast, the official said, in the first successful test of the Lockheed Martin version of the system. A booster engine accelerated the missile to high speed, at which point the air-breathing scramjet engine ignited and propelled the missile at hypersonic speeds of Mach 5 and above.
The official offered scant details of the missile test, only noting the missile flew above 65,000 feet and for more than 300 miles. But even at the lower end of hypersonic range -- about 3,800 miles per hour -- a flight of 300 miles is less than 5 minutes.
The test came days after Russia says it used its own hypersonic missile during its invasion of Ukraine, claiming it targeted an ammunition warehouse in western Ukraine.
US officials downplayed the significance of the Russian use of their hypersonic Kinzhal missile. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he did not view it as "some sort of game changer"
after the Russians announced the missile launch. Days later, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said it was "hard to know what exactly the justification" was for the launch, since it targeted a stationary storage facility.
"That's a pretty significant sledgehammer to take out a target like that," Kirby said at the time.
The Kinzhal missile is simply an air-launched version of the Russian Iskander short-range ballistic missile. In other words, it is a variation of an established technology as opposed to a revolution in hypersonic weaponry.
The US test was of a more sophisticated and difficult air-breathing scramjet engine. The HAWC missile also has no warhead, instead relying on its kinetic energy to destroy the target. 
At the time of the US test, Biden was preparing for a visit to NATO allies in Europe, including a stop in Poland where he met with Ukraine's foreign minister and defense minister.
The US has been careful not to take steps or make statements that could unnecessarily escalate the tensions between Washington and Moscow. On Friday, the US canceled a test of the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) to avoid any misinterpretation by Russia. Austin had already postponed the test in early March to avoid any actions that could be misconstrued by Russia at such a sensitive time.
In general, the US has also remained somewhat discreet about the weapons and equipment it sends into Ukraine. Only in the latest $300 million security assistance package did the Defense Department list specific systems and weapons.
The US has also opposed the transfer of fighter aircraft to Ukraine through the United States, concerned that the Kremlin could interpret such a move as the US and NATO entering the conflict in Ukraine.
US officials remained quiet about this latest hypersonic test for two weeks for similar reasons, the defense official said, careful not to provoke the Kremlin or President Vladimir Putin, especially as Russian forces expanded their bombardment of Ukraine.
The US test is the second successful test of a HAWC missile, and it is the first of the Lockheed Martin version of the weapon. Last September, the Air Force tested the Raytheon HAWC, powered by a Northrop Grumman scramjet engine.
The test met all primary objectives, according to a press release from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), including the missile's integration and release, safe separation from the launch aircraft, booster firing, and cruise. Then too officials offered few details about the flight, with no mention of how fast the missile flew or what distance it traveled. The release only stated that the missile traveled at speeds greater than Mach 5.
The US has placed a renewed emphasis on hypersonic weapons following successful Russian and Chinese tests in recent months, exacerbating the concern in Washington that the US is falling behind on a military technology considered critical for the future.
In the FY23 defense budget, the Biden administration has requested $7.2 billion for long range fires, including hypersonic missiles. In a report last year, the Government Accountability Office identified 70 efforts related to the development of hypersonic weapons, expected to cost nearly $15 billion between 2015 and 2024.
One month after the first successful HAWC test, the US suffered a setback when the test of a different hypersonic system failed. The failure came just as reports emerged that China had successfully tested a hypersonic glide vehicle over the summer and shortly after Russia claimed to have successfully tested its submarine-launched hypersonic missile, dubbed the Tsirkon.
FUXKING
DEAL
ft.com
Biden to announce US, UK and Australia co-operation on hypersonic weapons
Demetri Sevastopulo in Washington 16 minutes ago
4 minutes
Expansion of trilateral security pact is response to rapid expansion of Chinese military
An artist’s impression of a hypersonic missile provided by aerospace and defence company Raytheon © Raytheon Missiles & Defense/Reuters
Receive free Aerospace & Defence updates
We’ll send you a myFT Daily Digest email rounding up the latest Aerospace & Defence news every morning.
The US, UK and Australia will co-operate on the development of hypersonic weapons, expanding a trilateral security pact designed to help Washington and its allies respond to China’s rapid expansion of its military.
President Joe Biden is preparing to unveil the expansion of the so-called Aukus security pact with Scott Morrison, the Australian prime minister, and Boris Johnson, the British prime minister, according to three people familiar with the situation. One of the people said an announcement could come as early as Tuesday in Washington.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The push to co-operate on the development of hypersonic weapons marks the latest effort to increase co-operation between the three countries to counter the rise of China in the Indo-Pacific. Last year, the states signed a pact for the US and UK to help Australia obtain nuclear-powered submarines.
The agreement comes as the Pentagon steps up efforts on hypersonic weapons after recognising that China has leapt ahead in development of the technology. China has conducted several hundred tests of hypersonic missiles, which fly at more than five times the speed of sound. That is far more than the US military, which has carried out less than a dozen tests.
The FT previously reported that China last year flew a hypersonic weapon around the earth that was boosted into space on a rocket. The weapon — known as a hypersonic glide vehicle — fired a projectile as it flew over the South China Sea. Pentagon military scientists were stunned that China had overcome some of the constraints of the laws of physics that make it very hard to fire a missile from a weapon travelling at such speeds.
In a recent interview with the FT Admiral John Aquilino, head of Indo-Pacific Command, and General James dikkinson, head of Space Command, said the US and Australia were boosting co-operation in space and cyber, partly because of the growing concern about Chinese hypersonic weapons.
“The ability to identify and track, and defend against those hypersonics is really the key,” Aquilino said in Alice Springs ahead of two days of meetings with Australian security and intelligence officials at Pine Gap, a top-secret satellite intelligence facility jointly run by the CIA and Australia.
Hypersonic missiles pose a problem for the US because they can manoeuvre in flight at very high speeds, unlike ballistic missiles which follow a given trajectory that make them easier to intercept.
The system China tested last year made it possible to send hypersonic weapons over the south pole, creating another problem for US missile defences that are intended for missile threats coming from over the north pole.
In the recent interview, Gen dikkinson said his top priority was improving “space domain awareness” — meaning the ability to detect and track missile threats — and that the US and its partners had to invest more in the effort.
Follow Demetri Sevastopulo on Twitter
US tested hypersonic missile in mid-March but kept it quiet to avoid escalating tensions with Russia - CNNPolitics
US tested hypersonic missile in mid-March but kept it quiet to avoid escalating tensions with Russia
(CNN)The US successfully tested a hypersonic missile in mid-March but kept it quiet for two weeks to avoid escalating tensions with Russia as President Joe Biden was about to travel to Europe, according to a defense official familiar with the matter.
The Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC) was launched from a B-52 bomber off the west coast, the official said, in the first successful test of the Lockheed Martin version of the system. A booster engine accelerated the missile to high speed, at which point the air-breathing scramjet engine ignited and propelled the missile at hypersonic speeds of Mach 5 and above.
The official offered scant details of the missile test, only noting the missile flew above 65,000 feet and for more than 300 miles. But even at the lower end of hypersonic range -- about 3,800 miles per hour -- a flight of 300 miles is less than 5 minutes.
The test came days after Russia says it used its own hypersonic missile during its invasion of Ukraine, claiming it targeted an ammunition warehouse in western Ukraine.
US officials downplayed the significance of the Russian use of their hypersonic Kinzhal missile. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he did not view it as "some sort of game changer"
after the Russians announced the missile launch. Days later, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said it was "hard to know what exactly the justification" was for the launch, since it targeted a stationary storage facility."That's a pretty significant sledgehammer to take out a target like that," Kirby said at the time.
The Kinzhal missile is simply an air-launched version of the Russian Iskander short-range ballistic missile. In other words, it is a variation of an established technology as opposed to a revolution in hypersonic weaponry.
The US test was of a more sophisticated and difficult air-breathing scramjet engine. The HAWC missile also has no warhead, instead relying on its kinetic energy to destroy the target. At the time of the US test, Biden was preparing for a visit to NATO allies in Europe, including a stop in Poland where he met with Ukraine's foreign minister and defense minister.
The US has been careful not to take steps or make statements that could unnecessarily escalate the tensions between Washington and Moscow. On Friday, the US canceled a test of the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) to avoid any misinterpretation by Russia. Austin had already postponed the test in early March to avoid any actions that could be misconstrued by Russia at such a sensitive time.
In general, the US has also remained somewhat discreet about the weapons and equipment it sends into Ukraine. Only in the latest $300 million security assistance package did the Defense Department list specific systems and weapons.
The US has also opposed the transfer of fighter aircraft to Ukraine through the United States, concerned that the Kremlin could interpret such a move as the US and NATO entering the conflict in Ukraine.
US officials remained quiet about this latest hypersonic test for two weeks for similar reasons, the defense official said, careful not to provoke the Kremlin or President Vladimir Putin, especially as Russian forces expanded their bombardment of Ukraine.
The US test is the second successful test of a HAWC missile, and it is the first of the Lockheed Martin version of the weapon. Last September, the Air Force tested the Raytheon HAWC, powered by a Northrop Grumman scramjet engine.
The test met all primary objectives, according to a press release from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), including the missile's integration and release, safe separation from the launch aircraft, booster firing, and cruise. Then too officials offered few details about the flight, with no mention of how fast the missile flew or what distance it traveled. The release only stated that the missile traveled at speeds greater than Mach 5.
The US has placed a renewed emphasis on hypersonic weapons following successful Russian and Chinese tests in recent months, exacerbating the concern in Washington that the US is falling behind on a military technology considered critical for the future.
In the FY23 defense budget, the Biden administration has requested $7.2 billion for long range fires, including hypersonic missiles. In a report last year, the Government Accountability Office identified 70 efforts related to the development of hypersonic weapons, expected to cost nearly $15 billion between 2015 and 2024.
One month after the first successful HAWC test, the US suffered a setback when the test of a different hypersonic system failed. The failure came just as reports emerged that China had successfully tested a hypersonic glide vehicle over the summer and shortly after Russia claimed to have successfully tested its submarine-launched hypersonic missile, dubbed the Tsirkon.
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