Europe’s Hypersonica completes a successful Mach 6 test in Norway, aiming for series production by 2029 as the EU pushes for greater defence autonomy. Can it compete with the Kremlin's supposed superweapon?
A German-British defence startup successfully tested Europe's first privately developed hypersonic missile in Norway, reaching speeds exceeding Mach 6 and marking a milestone in European efforts to develop advanced weaponry independently of the United States.
Hypersonica announced on Monday its prototype missile accelerated to more than 7,400 kilometres per hour and flew over 300 kilometres during the 3 February test flight at Andøya Space in northern Norway.
The Anglo-German company said all systems operated nominally throughout the ascent and descent, with performance validated down to the subcomponent level at hypersonic speeds.
"Hypersonica has achieved a major milestone on our pathway to developing Europe's first sovereign hypersonic strike capability by 2029," co-founders Philipp Kerth and Marc Ewenz said in a statement.
The test comes as European nations accelerate defence spending following Russia's deployment of its Oreshnik hypersonic missile system, which Moscow has used twice against Ukraine since November 2024.
Russia struck western Ukraine with its Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile on 8 January, hitting critical infrastructure in the Lviv region near the Polish border.
The Ukrainian Air Force said the missile travelled at approximately 13,000 kilometres per hour. It was Russia's second use of the Oreshnik, following a November 2024 strike on Dnipro amid its ongoing all-out war in Ukraine, now nearing its four-year mark.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz condemned the attack as "unacceptable", while EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said it was "meant as a warning to Europe and to the US".
The Oreshnik can carry both conventional and nuclear warheads, with a reported range of up to 5,500 kilometres. Russia has deployed the system to Belarus.
Germany boosts defence spending
Germany's 2026 budget provides for approximately €108.2 billion in defence spending, split between €82.7 billion in the regular defence budget and €25.5 billion from a special fund established after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.
The budget marks a historic increase from around €95 billion in 2025 and more than doubles spending compared with 2021.
Merz has committed to reaching 3.5%of GDP on defence by 2029, making Germany's military the strongest conventional force in Europe.
Military procurement saw the largest budget increase, rising by €16.8 billion to account for 27% of defence spending. The budget provides for 10,000 new soldiers and 2,000 civilian posts.
The German government has prioritised European procurement, with only around 8% of contracts expected to go to US manufacturers, according to reports.
Europe's defence shift
Europe's dependence on US defence equipment has increased significantly in recent years. According to Stockholm-based peace research institute SIPRI, arms imports from the US to Europe more than tripled between 2020 and 2024 compared with the previous five years.
For the first time in two decades, the largest share of US arms exports went to Europe, rising from 13% in 2015-2019 to 35% in 2020-2024.
European NATO states doubled their arms imports during this period, with two-thirds coming from the US.
The European Defence Fund's work programme for 2026 includes €168 million for hypersonic countermeasures and high-end endoatmospheric interception capabilities.
Hypersonic missiles, defined as flying faster than five times the speed of sound whilst remaining manoeuvrable in the atmosphere, pose significant challenges for air defence systems due to the extreme heat generated by their high speed.
Military and defence experts have debated for years whether hypersonic missiles will change the balance of military power between the United States and Europe on one side and China and Russia on the other.
The Munich-based startup founded in December 2023 by Oxford University doctoral graduates Kerth and Ewenz, Hypersonica employs 50 people and maintains a subsidiary in London.
Hypersonica said its modular architecture enables development cycles measured in months rather than years, reducing costs by more than 80% compared with conventional defence programmes.
The company aims to have missiles ready for deployment by 2029, aligning with NATO and UK hypersonic frameworks for 2030.