MBDA Details Europe’s First Hypersonic Interceptor

Pan-European missile manufacturer MBDA revealed details regarding the HYDIS2 project that aims to develop a hypersonic interceptor.

The company has signed letters of intent with France, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands to launch a concept stage for the Hypersonic Defense Interceptor Study (HYDIS2), which would introduce several designs before choosing one, officials told Defense News on June 19 during the Paris Air Show here.

The consortium includes 19 companies and 30 suppliers from 14 European countries.

Besides the four nations that have signed letters of intent to support HYDIS2, industry partners hail from Finland, Estonia, Sweden, Denmark, Romania, Hungary, Croatia, Austria, Spain and Belgium.

After the three-year concept study is over, the plan is for the four nations underwriting HYDIS2 to choose one counter-hypersonic interceptor concept to push forward.

MBDA started working on hypersonic defense systems at least five years ago, and it is now developing three missile concept studies, two of them being three-stage interceptors and one a two-sage missile. One of the proposed configurations will be selected, that should lead to an operational system in the 2030s.