Hypersonica, an Anglo-German defence and aerospace company, has completed its maiden hypersonic test flight at Andøya Space in Norway.
The company reported that its missile prototype reached speeds greater than Mach 6, covering a distance of more than 300 kilometres (km).
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All systems “operated normally” during both ascent and descent phases, Hypersonica stated, with performance validation extending to subcomponent level at hypersonic speeds.
Hypersonica has outlined a phased plan to achieve hypersonic strike capability by 2029, involving a series of successive test flights.
These flights will focus on reaching hypersonic speed, demonstrating advanced flight control, achieving complex manoeuvrability, and ultimately meeting full mission requirements.
The company completed preparation for the initial test flight including concept design, procurement, integration, ground testing, export control compliance, regulatory processes, flight safety measures, and range organisation inside nine months.
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By GlobalDataThe company claims its modular architecture enables faster upgrades and shorter development cycles, lowering costs by over 80% compared with traditional approaches.
Hypersonica states this strategy will allow Europe to deploy hypersonic capabilities in line with NATO and UK 2030 Hypersonic Framework targets.
Hypersonica co-founder and CEO Dr. Philipp Kerth and co-founder and chief technology officer Dr. Marc Ewenz said: “Hypersonica has achieved a major milestone on our pathway to developing Europe’s first sovereign hypersonic strike capability by 2029.
“Our test flight yielded invaluable datasets that will inform the design and development of future high speed strike systems and enhance our ability to analyse adversary weapon profiles. As a privately funded startup, our speed from design to the launchpad in just nine months should recalibrate expectations about the costs and time needed to develop this crucial capability.”
In addition to the hypersonic test flight, Hypersonica has secured €23.3m in Series A funding.
Plural led the investment round with participation from Germany’s Federal Agency for Breakthrough Innovation (SPRIND), existing investor General Catalyst, who led the seed round and 201 Ventures.
The new funding will support acceleration toward full-scale flight testing set for the first quarter of 2026 and aims to address demand from NATO members for deep precision strike options.
Dr. Marc Ewenz and Dr. Philipp Kerth, both German nationals and University of Oxford PhD graduates, established Hypersonica in December 2023.
The company has its headquarters in the Munich region and operates a wholly owned subsidiary in London.
