Sino-German Joint Venture Tests Hypersonic Missile

Reference News Network reported on February 14 According to the German newspaper Münchner Merkur's website on February 10, a German-British joint venture startup has developed and test-fired a hypersonic missile in Europe. Founded in 2023, the hypersonic technology company stated that the prototype missile, designated HS1, was launched without a warhead on February 3 from the Andøya Space Center in Norway, achieving a flight speed of 6 Mach. This is equivalent to over 7,400 kilometers per hour. It is reported that the missile flew 300 kilometers, with plans for mass production by 2029.

The test launch was surprising. So far, only a few countries, including China, Russia, and the United States, have equipped or are developing hypersonic missiles. The company claims that the prototype missile is several meters long and weighs over 1 ton. The company has not disclosed any technical details about the missile.

Moscow has stated that Russia has used hypersonic missiles in the war in Ukraine. These missiles travel at extremely high speeds, making them difficult to intercept. For years, military officials and weapon experts have been discussing the extent to which hypersonic missiles will change the current military balance of power between the U.S. and Europe versus China and Russia.

In light of Europe's doubts about the reliability of the United States under President Trump, the founder of the hypersonic technology company plans to provide Europe with "the first autonomous hypersonic capability" by 2029.

The company's CEO and co-founder, Philipp Kett, told the German news agency DPA: "The technical challenge is how to achieve high-precision maneuvering while flying at hypersonic speeds." He said the purpose of this test launch was to collect as much data as possible. He stated, "We are the first company in Europe to achieve a hypersonic missile test launch with private funding."

Kett mentioned that hypersonic missile technology has been neglected in Europe for over 30 years. "Europe does not have 20 years, nor do we have 20 billion euros." He noted that American billionaire Elon Musk and his SpaceX company have proven that the development time for rockets can be significantly shortened. The hypersonic technology company claims that the HS1 prototype missile took only 9 months from design to test launch. (Translated by Wang Qiang)