Hypersonica conducts first flight test of prototype hypersonic strike missile

Hypersonica conducted a flight test of its prototype hypersonic strike weapon at Andøya Space, Norway, the company announced on 10 February 2026. (Hypersonica)

Anglo‑German defence and aerospace company Hypersonica has carried out its first flight test of a prototype hypersonic strike missile, the company announced in a press release on 10 February.

The test achieved hypersonic flight; the missile reached speeds in excess of Mach 6 (>7,400 km/h) and a range of over 300 km, Hypersonica said. The company added, “Throughout the ascent and subsequent descent through the atmosphere, all systems operated nominally. System performance was successfully validated down to [the] subcomponent level at hypersonic speeds.”

The test was carried out at Norway's Andøya Space, which provided partnering support for the activity.

Preparation included concept, design, procurement, integration, and ground-testing work on the technical side, plus export control, regulatory, flight safety, and range organisation activities. Hypersonica said all work was completed within nine months, adding that “modular architecture enables swift upgrades and shorter, more cost-efficient development cycles, reducing costs by over 80% compared with conventional approaches”. Hypersonica CEO Philipp Kerth told Janes on 9 February that such reductions in cost and time enable fielding of capability more affordably and more quickly.

In the release Hypersonica co-founders Kerth and Marc Ewenz (chief technology officer) called the test a “milestone on our pathway to developing Europe's first sovereign hypersonic strike capability by 2029”.

The company's development timeline includes three further phases: demonstrating advanced flight control at hypersonic speeds, achieving complex manoeuvrability, and meeting full mission requirements.

This timeframe is designed to reflect NATO and UK requirements to have such capability available by 2030.