US defence firms doubling down on hypersonic weapons technology

America’s biggest defence contractors are finding a growth market in hypersonic weaponry – missiles that could dodge air defences by flying five times the speed of sound – as US military leaders have repeatedly described deploying such weapons as a national priority.

They are hoping to profit from an international arms race in hypersonic weaponry that has drawn the United States into a cold war-style competition with Russia and China.

With military officials hoping to transition from research and development to the more cash-intensive production work over the next several years, top US defence contractors are jockeying for position.

Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman and Boeing are among the companies developing hypersonic weapons.

Much of the work is classified. But executives from several large US defence contractors say they are already receiving billions of dollars in related military contract funding.

“These systems are going to be deployed in a few years,” said Wes Kremer, president of Raytheon’s missile systems division, adding that such weapons would allow the US military to “reach out further, and strike faster”.

Lockheed Martin Chief Executive Marillyn Hewson disclosed last week that her company has received roughly US$3.5 billion in defence contracts related to hypersonic weapons. Lockheed is the primary contractor for the Army’s hypersonic strike programme.

Raytheon is also a top contender, with roughly US$1.6 billion in current and expected awards. The company announced last week it had completed a successful “design review” for a hypersonic missile programme it is working on with the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency, known as DARPA.