Company developing military engines for hypersonic weapons has gone bankrupt in UK

4 November, 2024 Concept V hypersonic military aircraft demonstrator. Photo: Reaction Engines Reaction Engines, a company that develops the military engines for hypersonic weapons, has gone bankrupt in the UK.

The Register reported on this. The company actively developed and offered revolutionary solutions for the American and British hypersonic weapons projects, including the development of the SABRE rocket engine. In addition, the company developed the individual components for engines used in the hypersonic weapon prototypes.

Scaled demonstrator Hermeus "Quarterhorse" Max 5.

Photo credits: Hermeus

The company's liquidation came after attempts to find a financial sponsor to raise approximately GBP20 million (£26 million) in additional funding failed. In addition to supporting military developments, the company also developed the SABRE engine technology with funding from the UK Space Agency. Nevertheless, the situation with the development of hypersonic weapons in the United States is facing new challenges due to the failed test of the AGM-183 missile in March 2013.

Currently, funding for the ARRW program is suspended until 2025, and during this time, the US Air Force and the main developers of the missile must decide on the new investments in this program and its further development.

A B-52H Stratofortress bomber with two AGM-183 missiles. Photo credits: US Air Force

The representatives of the U.S. Air Force said that the missile test had helped change the perception of hypersonic weapons and use the technical developments in the new Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile project.

The ARRW program to develop the AGM-183 hypersonic missile has now been closed. Militarnyi previously reported that Lockheed Martin had adapted the Mako hypersonic missile to most US fighter jets and disclosed some of its parameters. The new missile, with a length of 3.6 meters and a diameter of 33 cm, weighs about 590 kilograms.

It is compact enough to be integrated into the internal weapon bays of the F-22 and F-35 5th generation fighters.

The latter can carry up to 6 missiles in the internal and external hardpoints.