The talk of a “peaceful era” in military technology in Europe is slowly being relegated to the archives. A prototype of a European-made ballistic missile has been tested for the first time in Norway, and experts are calling it the beginning of a new stage in hypersonic armament.
The tests were reportedly conducted by a joint British-German company called Hypersonica. It’s not just a simple “missile flight”: the prototype reportedly reached speeds of more than Mach 6 on its first flight, reaching speeds of about 7,400 km/h. That is, speeds that “the eye cannot see” in the air.
Over 300 kilometers of range and uninterrupted flight
According to reports, the missile was able to cover a distance of over 300 kilometers during the test. The developers say that the flight went according to plan, and the systems worked stably at all stages. In particular, it was reported that there were no malfunctions or interruptions during acceleration or during passage through dense layers of the atmosphere.
This is the most important aspect in such tests: because hypersonic speed is not just a “number”, it is a whole technological test. If the systems do not withstand it, then the speed itself will no longer be needed by anyone.
The project is not only technical, but also political
According to experts, this development is not only a technological result, but also a political signal. That is, Europe is trying to show the level of “it can achieve” in its security and geopolitical competition.
Interestingly, the Hypersonica team boasts that the project was carried out very quickly: from the drawings to the launch took only nine months. The company commented that “we are working so fast that we will have to reconsider old ideas about the time and cost of creating a technology.”
2029 plan and the promise of cost reduction
Hypersonica also noted that by 2029 it plans to produce the first European hypersonic strike system based on a modular system. According to them, the modular approach will help to significantly reduce the cost of development - they are talking about the possibility of reducing it by more than 80 percent.
One of the most emphasized points is that the US assistance was not required in this process. This is shown as a signal of Europe's technological independence and autonomous capabilities.
It is also said that due to the goal of cost reduction, the creation of such missiles can be relatively affordable even for countries with limited military budgets. That is, it may not be “just a game of great powers.”
There are also assessments that it is a response to the “Oreshnik”
Some media outlets in Europe are interpreting this development as a response to the Russian “Oreshnik”. At the same time, there are also opinions that a number of countries are significantly accelerating their ballistic programs.
The bottom line is: hypersonic technologies in the European arena are no longer a laboratory topic - they are a subject of real competition. And if this trend accelerates, it is likely that in the coming years the big game of “who is faster, who is more accurate, who is cheaper” will become even more heated on the continent.
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