Washington, London and Canberra will jointly develop hypersonic weapons – Le Figaro

The United Kingdom, the United States and Australia announced on Tuesday April 5 that they would jointly develop hypersonic weapons as part of their AUKUS security pact aimed at countering China’s growing influence in the Pacific region. . Read alsoWar in Ukraine: Why Russia launched hypersonic missiles Hypersonic missiles, which can reach five times the speed of sound or more, are faster and more maneuverable than standard missiles, making them harder to intercept . The United States had successfully tested, in October 2021, this technology is already used by Russia or China. “We commit (…) today to begin new trilateral cooperation in hypersonic, counter-hypersonic and electronic means of warfare”, indicated the leaders of the United States Joe Biden, the British Boris Johnson and the Australian Scott Morrison in a joint statement. They also agreed to “expand information sharing and deepen defense innovation cooperation.” Read alsoHow to counter hypersonic missiles? Hypersonic missiles in Ukraine Last March, Russia claimed to have used hypersonic missiles in Ukraine, which would be the first known use in real combat conditions of this system tested for the first time in 2018. Washington, London and Canberra had announced in September 2021 the AUKUS strategic partnership for the Indo-Pacific region, targeting China but without naming it. This alliance is already planning the delivery of nuclear-powered submarines to Australia, and the three countries said they were “delighted” on Tuesday with the progress made in this area. However, it had angered Paris by leading to the termination of a major arms contract between France and Australia.