The UK is developing hypersonic cruise missiles to compete with the US, China, and Russia.
According to a report by the British newspaper The Sunday Telegraph, Britain intends to equip its armed forces with domestically produced hypersonic cruise missiles by the end of this decade. These plans are in their initial stages, and the mechanism for launching them from land, sea, or air has not yet been determined.
British military commanders are under pressure to develop a weapon capable of flying at speeds exceeding Mach 5, five times the speed of sound, to match the defensive capabilities of countries like China, Russia, and the United States.
Ballistic missiles can also reach hypersonic speeds, but the difference lies in their maneuverability. Ballistic weapons typically follow fixed trajectories, whereas hypersonic cruise missiles can have their course changed after launch, making them harder to intercept.
The United States, Russia, and China are the main players in the hypersonic missile arms race, but other countries like North Korea also claim to have tested hypersonic weapons.