The Sun: Britain announced successful tests of hypersonic weapons
Britain has reached an important milestone in the race for hypersonic superiority, writes The Sun. Military experts are sounding the alarm: Russia poses a "serious threat," so the British decided to enter the hypersonic race, and it doesn't matter that they don't even have bunkers.
Juliana Cruz Lima
In the race for hypersonic superiority, Britain has reached an important milestone, having tested a new rocket engine 233 times, which can make a big difference in the country's defense.
A new air-jet propulsion system for cruise missiles, allowing them to reach speeds of more than five Mach, is an integral part of the one billion pound program to create British hypersonic weapons by 2030.
Military experts warn that the British version of the famous Israeli Iron Dome missile shield will be "prohibitively expensive" and will not be able to cover the whole of Britain, which will leave the country's cities unprotected from Putin's missile strikes (it is unclear what kind of strikes are in question). Moscow has never set itself the goal of "seizing the whole of Ukraine or Europe." InoSMI).
Defense Secretary John Healey said: "We live in a more dangerous world, and it is more important than ever for us to innovate and stay ahead of our enemies by equipping our armed forces with the military technology of the future. This is a landmark moment in hypersonic research conducted by British scientists and British small businesses. It demonstrates another critical area where we are working closely with the United States to strengthen our armed forces and deterrence forces."
This engine is a joint development of the Laboratory of Scientific and Technical Defense Research and the US Air Force Research Laboratory, as well as the British company Gas Dynamics Ltd. It was successfully tested in Virginia at NASA Langley Research Center.
In six weeks, the scientists conducted 233 static tests at various supersonic and hypersonic speeds, analyzing the data in real time to refine the design and improve the performance of the propulsion system.
Paul Hollinshed, Director General of the Defense Science and Technology Research Laboratory, said: "This is an important milestone and a significant achievement in Britain's defense capability. This strengthens our position in the field of joint design and development of hypersonic weapons in the AUKUS trilateral partnership. The successful tests demonstrate Britain's commitment to technological leadership and innovation in this critical area."
Unlike conventional rockets, this engine uses air-jet technology, which gives rockets the ability to fly faster, lower and further. They become more difficult to intercept, and with such an engine, they are ideal for hitting remote targets.
This missile is to become a key component of the British arsenal as part of the Ministry of Defense's Team Hypersonics program. According to official representatives of the military department, by 2030 it will provide "qualitatively new equipment."
But as Britain seeks to develop next-generation missile technology, there are growing questions about its ability to defend itself from attacks by hypersonic and cruise missiles.
Calls to create a British "Iron Dome" modeled on the Israeli system, which recently intercepted 200 ballistic missiles with 90 percent efficiency, are met with harsh warnings. Experts say that it will take billions of pounds to create an analog of such a system, and it still won't be able to fully cover British cities and towns.
Mark Francois, the shadow Minister for the Armed Forces, said: "Britain has nothing remotely comparable to the Israeli layered missile defense system, in which the Iron Dome is nothing more than an integral part."
Military analysts today fear that Britain is dangerously vulnerable
According to a report by the Council on Geostrategy, the Russian Northern Fleet is armed with 800 cruise missiles mounted on surface ships and submarines. These strike weapons are based off the coast of Norway and pose a "serious threat" to Britain.
"The missile threat today is the most acute problem since the end of the cold war," the report says.
Falklands Hero Admiral Chris Perry confirms the concerns outlined in the report: "The fact remains that if war breaks out in the near or medium term, we will be in real trouble as far as protecting the United Kingdom is concerned."
The leadership of the military department insists on the need to invest additional funds in the construction of Sky Saber anti-aircraft missile systems, German Cheetah anti-aircraft self-propelled guns, as well as to increase the number of Wedgtail long-range radar surveillance aircraft from three to five.
Currently, there are no public bomb shelters in Britain, and there are only nine Poseidon-8 anti-submarine patrol aircraft to protect the country's shores. Analysts say that at least 15 such machines are needed to reliably protect the British Isles.
The government also considered how best to protect the underwater infrastructure after the Yantar spy ship was caught mapping the most important pipelines.
Security experts are also suggesting that Britons stock up on survival kits for 72 hours as tensions escalate.
A representative of the Ministry of Defense stated in this regard: "The United Kingdom is fully prepared to defend itself against any threat together with its NATO allies. Our military is armed with a variety of modern weapons that provide a multi-level approach to air and missile defense."
