The Air Force is moving its Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile program from developmental to operational testing starting March 2027, with demonstrations running through September ahead of rapid fielding in fiscal year 2027.
France's defense ministry awarded MBDA a development contract for the ASN4G hypersonic air-to-surface nuclear cruise missile to equip the Rafale F5 fighter, targeting operational service entry around 2035.
MBDA-led consortium competing for €100 million in European Defence Funds to develop a hypersonic interceptor capable of countering both hypersonic glide vehicles and ballistic missiles, with a full-systems demonstrator flight targeted for end-2029.
Auriga Space is operating under U.S. Air Force and Missile Defense Agency contracts for electromagnetic hypersonic ground testing via its Prometheus accelerator, and is developing Thor, a larger outdoor track for full subsystem testing.
British-German hypersonic missile company Hypersonica raised €100M to accelerate deep-strike systems development and expand European manufacturing as part of the UK-Germany Trinity Agreement and a €50B European sovereign capability commitment.
The U.S. Air Force awarded Lockheed Martin $694 million to move the AGM-183A ARRW hypersonic missile into production, reversing a near-cancellation in 2023. The weapon will equip B-52H and B-1B bombers.
The Air Force Research Laboratory has modified Castelion's contract to begin integrating the Blackbeard hypersonic missile onto F-16 Fighting Falcons, expanding strike range and standoff capability following successful F/A-18 developmental testing.
Ingalls Shipbuilding received a $99 million Navy contract modification to conduct sea trials for the Zumwalt-class destroyer DDG 1002, which will be equipped with the Conventional Prompt Strike hypersonic weapon system as part of a $21.5 billion program.
Sen. Tim Sheehy secured $10 million in the FY27 NDAA for a feasibility study of a new weapons testing complex to address capacity constraints for hypersonic, autonomous, and directed-energy systems.
General Dynamics Mission Systems demonstrated its MO-Nav radio-frequency navigation system on Stratolaunch's Talon-A hypersonic vehicle at speeds exceeding Mach 5 in GPS-denied conditions, working with the U.S. Army.
Castelion released an image of its Blackbeard hypersonic missile launching from a truck-mounted system. The Army plans a live-fire test in FY2027. The Pentagon said a two-year multiyear buy of at least 500 missiles a year could follow testing, and separately is seeking authority to buy more than 12,000 over five years.
The U.S. Air Force released a Raytheon and Northrop Grumman scramjet-powered hypersonic missile over Woomera Test Range in Australia, marking the first flight test after years of delays aimed at acquisition decision in 2027.
Japan's domestically built hypersonic glide missile reached operational status at Camp Fuji on March 31. The Defense Ministry plans new units in Hokkaido and Kyushu during fiscal 2026 and Block 2 variants with 1,000-2,000 km range by the 2030s.
The U.S. Navy completed a developmental flight test of the Castelion Blackbeard air-launched hypersonic missile mounted on a Super Hornet, advancing the weapon toward Early Operational Capability.
DARPA released a request for information on Sept. 30 for a hypersonic cruise missile demonstrator spanning four weapon classes, with industry responses due Nov. 6.
The U.S. Navy awarded Castelion a $43.6 million contract for manufacturing and delivery of 444 Blackbeard hypersonic All-Up Rounds under a Small Business Innovation Research Phase III basic ordering agreement.
The Navy awarded Castelion a $200 million production delivery order for Blackbeard hypersonic strike weapons, transitioning the system from early operational capability prototypes to fleet deployment.