London, Apr 28:
The UK Defense Ministry has insisted that hypersonic missiles capable of reaching speeds exceeding Mach 5 be designed and assembled entirely in the United Kingdom by 2030 to catch up with Russia and China, The Telegraph newspaper reported, citing sources.
UK’s plans to develop a hypersonic missile are still at an early stage and it is unclear whether it will be launched from land, sea or air, the report said on Saturday.
“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 programme, in a move that would make Putin’s dreams come true,” the source was quoted as saying by the newspaper.
The report noted that missiles may be purchased from the United States if there is a need to obtain this type of weapon sooner. However, the US is still only testing hypersonic missiles and does not have a ready-made version.
