Thematic Intelligence: Hypersonic Technologies

Hypersonic technology has a long history, stretching back more than half a century. Comparable to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), the perceived potential of the technology has waxed and waned over the years but increasing multi-polarity (and the war in Ukraine) has driven intense investment by countries such as Russia, China, and the US. Hypersonic refers to aerial objects-including aircraft, missiles, rockets, and spacecraft-that can reach speeds through the atmosphere greater than Mach 5, which is nearly 4,000 miles per hour (6437 km/h). The Mach number indicates how many times the speed of sound an object is traveling. As objects travel faster, technical challenges such as atmospheric heating increase exponentially, a paradigm that has historically limited designers.

The US, Russia, and China are all testing hypersonic technology, generating fears of escalating global competition for weaponry that has the potential to render current defenses inadequate. Russia’s use of hypersonic missiles in Ukraine has been confirmed, representing the first combat use of these weapons, and Ukraine has claimed the first successful interception of hypersonic missiles. This and the pace of development in China have raised concerns about the progress of the other nations’ programs. US investment culminated in fielding its first hypersonic platform in 2023. Aside from military applications, hypersonic technology promises extremely fast commercial flight. However, flight at such high speeds is extremely energy-demanding, leading to high operational and maintenance costs, while many aviation companies are pushing more toward sustainable and energy-efficient aviation initiatives. With the future of commercial aviation looking increasingly green, and with inherent challenges to the commercial hypersonic profit model, it appears unlikely that hypersonic passenger flights will emerge as a major market.

Key Highlights

• Overview of hypersonic technologies
• Studies of emerging trends and their broader impact on the market.
• Analysis of the various military and civilian hypersonic technologies programs currently under development, their history, and projections on future development initiatives.

Scope

• The key technology and commercialisation challenges that the hypersonic industry is facing
• The investment opportunities for prime contractors, suppliers, and institutional investors, across the whole hypersonics value chain are covered.
• Highlights from the range of different sustainability programs currently being undertaken by various defense and aerospace companies.

Reasons to Buy

• Determine potential investment companies based on trend analysis and market projections.
• Gaining an understanding of the market challenges and opportunities surrounding the hypersonics theme.
• Understanding how spending on hypersonics will fit into the overall market and which spending areas are being prioritized.