Britain plans a 2027 test flight of a hypersonic target from the Hebrides range
Project Bowline is building a target that flies faster than five times the speed of sound, so missile defences have something realistic to practise against.
Britain is building a hypersonic target vehicle under Project Bowline, with a live flight demonstration planned at the MOD Hebrides Range in 2027, according to the UK Defence Journal. Defence minister Luke Pollard said the target will copy threats travelling faster than Mach 5, five times the speed of sound. He said the full technical requirements will not be released because they are commercially and operationally sensitive.
Testing an interceptor, a missile that shoots down other missiles, needs something realistic to shoot at, and the UK Defence Journal notes few countries have one. The same week, Pollard signed an agreement with QinetiQ covering the first design stage of a multimillion-pound investment to develop the Hebrides site for testing hypersonic missiles.
Why it matters
Britain cannot prove its missile defences work against the fastest new threats without a target that behaves like one.
What we don't know yet
- Which missile defence systems the target will be used to test.
- What the target's full technical requirements are, which the MOD says it will not release.
Note this down
Watch for the live flight demonstration at the MOD Hebrides Range, planned for 2027.