AUKUS, a strategic submarine pact, turns to missiles

SIX MONTHS ago America and Britain said they would help Australia acquire the crown jewels of the defence world: nuclear-powered submarines. The AUKUS pact, announced on September 15th, reflected Australia’s fear of China’s growing power; America’s willingness to break old taboos to counter it; and Britain’s eagerness to bolster its role in Asia. The three countries also promised to co-operate in areas from cyber capabilities to quantum technologies. Now these allies are turning their attention to hypersonic missiles.

Such projectiles travel at sustained speeds of Mach 5 while manoeuvring. There are two sorts. Hypersonic cruise missiles, like Russia’s anti-ship Zircon, are powered by air-breathing engines. Hypersonic glide vehicles, like Russia’s Avangard and China’s DF-17, go up on rockets, but glide down over long distances.