The UK’s National Armaments Director (NAD) Group has awarded a £20m ($26m) contract to Lockheed Martin UK for the delivery of the advanced hypersonic target programme, Project Bowline.
The contract was awarded as part of the Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) Science and Technology Oriented Research and Development in Missile Defence (STORM) programme, which is managed by the UK Missile Defence Centre.
Lockheed Martin UK will carry out the design, manufacturing, qualification, and testing of the hypersonic target at its Bedfordshire facility.
The new target vehicle is being developed to replicate the behaviour of next-generation high-speed threats, capable of travelling at speeds above Mach 5.
It is intended to provide a realistic test environment for the evaluation of future missile defence systems, including both sensors and interceptor technologies.
In addition, the project is expected to strengthen the national capabilities in sovereign expertise in hypersonic systems modelling, manufacturing, and testing, while fostering closer links across industry, academia, and smaller companies.
Project Bowline is set to culminate in a live flight demonstration at the MoD Hebrides Range in 2027, according to the MoD.
The initiative marks the UK’s return to the development of hypersonic targets after a gap of more than ten years.
According to the MoD, the project will support approximately 63 jobs in Bedfordshire and inject an estimated £2m into the UK supply chain, with more than a third of this funding allocated directly to small and medium-sized enterprises.
Project Bowline is also closely linked to ongoing trilateral collaboration with the US and Australia under the AUKUS alliance, specifically within the Pillar 2 Hypersonic Flight Test and Experimentation (HyFliTE) arrangement.
The Ministry stated that both the US and Australia will contribute flight testing, research expertise, and technical peer review to the programme.
National Armaments Director Rupert Pearce said: “Delivering Project Bowline will help ensure the UK stays ahead of rapidly evolving hypersonic threats.
“By working with our AUKUS partners and investing in advanced missile technology in the UK, we strengthen our national arsenal, boost a key sector in our economy, and support our ability to deliver effective missile defence.”
