U.K. U.S. and Australia will work on hypersonics technology under defense pact

U.K., U.S., and Australia will work on hypersonics technology under defense pact. 

LONDON: Following a call between leaders of the new defense alliance, Britain, the United States, and Australia agreed to cooperate on hypersonic weapons and electronic warfare capabilities on Tuesday, according to U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s office.

The new AUKUS alliance, which was announced in September, pushed Australia to reject a contract for a conventional French submarine in favor of a nuclear submarine program backed by the U.S. and U.K., causing a rift with the French President Emmanuel Macron.

Johnson, US President Joe Biden, and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison stated in a joint statement that they were satisfied with the program’s progress for conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines for Australia and that the allies will cooperate in other areas as well.

The statement added, “We also pledged today to begin new trilateral collaboration on hypersonics and counter-hypersonics and electronic warfare capabilities.”

The U.S. and Australia already have a hypersonic weapon program named SCIFiRE (Southern Cross Integrated Flight Research Experiment), which stands for Southern Cross Integrated Flight Research Experiment. 

Officials from the United Kingdom said that while the country will not join the initiative at this time, the three countries would collaborate on research and development in the area to broaden their choices.

As a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, Biden’s government is investing in the research and development of hypersonic missiles, which travel at five times the speed of sound.

“In light of Russia’s unprovoked, unjustified, and unlawful invasion of Ukraine,” the leaders said, “we reiterated our unwavering commitment to an international system that respects human rights, law, and the peaceful resolution of disputes without coercion.” 

They also reaffirmed their commitment to a “free and open Indo-Pacific.”

On February 24, Russia said it began a “special military operation” in Ukraine to demilitarise it. Ukraine and the West reject the Kremlin’s position as an excuse for an unjustified invasion.

When asked about a hypersonic weapons cooperation agreement between the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia, China’s U.N. Ambassador Zhang Jun warned against actions that could ignite a crisis similar to the Ukraine conflict in other world regions.

“Anyone who does not want to see the Ukrainian situation spread to other regions of the world should refrain from doing things that could lead to a similar disaster,” Zhang told reporters. “As the Chinese proverb goes, if you don’t like something, don’t impose it on others.”