MBDA plans to fly ‘fat’ hypersonic interceptor demonstrator before end-2029 – Defense News

MBDA plans to fly ‘fat’ hypersonic interceptor demonstrator before end-2029  Defense News

“So it’s a bit fat, but it’s a Formula 1. It’s hypersonic, truly hypersonic, not just Mach 5," MBDA executive Lionel Mazenq said of the envisioned Hydis interceptor missile for Europe. PARIS — An industry consortium developing a European hypersonic interceptor plans to fly a full-systems demonstrator by the end of 2029, project leader MBDA said in a briefing at the Euronaval maritime-defense exhibition. The program, named Hydis, is competing with the Hydef program coordinated by Spain’s Sistemas de Misiles to secure €100 million (US$112 million) in European funding for the second development phase of the interceptor. A decision about who will get the financing is due at the end of the month, Lionel Mazenq, MBDA’s vice president for program incubators, said Nov.

4. While China and Russia have been developing hypersonic glide vehicles for attack, Europe lacks capabilities to intercept them, something Hydis and Hydef seek to address. Both projects received European funding for their initial development, but the European Defence Funds plans to fund only one of the two proposals as part of its 2026 work program. The Hydis interceptor is designed to address a large number of threats that are “very diverse in terms of behavior,” Mazenq said. “Today nothing is able to intercept this portfolio of threats, absolutely nothing.” With the final concept selected, the consortium