Anglo-German defense startup Hypersonica announced it has successfully completed the first test flight of its hypersonic missile prototype at Andøya Space in Norway, marking the first such achievement by a privately funded European defense company.

The prototype accelerated to speeds exceeding Mach 6 and flew over 300 km, with all systems operating normally during ascent and descent. Hypersonica says the data from the flight will help guide future development toward a sovereign European hypersonic strike capability by 2029, with a focus on modular, cost-efficient designs. Hypersonica writes:

“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 9 months should recalibrate expectations about the costs and time needed to develop this crucial capability. – Hypersonica co-founders Dr. Philipp Kerth (CEO) and Dr. Marc Ewenz (CTO)