Amentum selected to advance UK hypersonic strike capabilities

Above: An impression of a hypersonic missile.
Courtesy of UK Ministry of Defence

The Industry Mission Partner (IMP) contract was awarded by Team Hypersonics UK, part of the Ministry of Defence, to accelerate weapon development and sovereign capability while bolstering collaboration with Australia and the United States through the AUKUS agreement.

Amentum will set up a Joint Programme Office and System Engineering Delivery Advisory Team to conduct detailed development of engineering design requirements for the MoD’s hypersonic weapon system demonstrator and examine options for flight testing. 

As part of the IMP contract, Amentum will deliver project lifecycle solutions, including systems engineering, mission planning, sensor platform integration, test design, planning and execution, safety systems and cost analysis. The IMP contract has a duration of 15 months with a possible three-year extension for future phases.

“We will bring extensive global defence expertise and deep understanding of hypersonic technologies to this vitally important programme,” said Loren Jones, senior vice president and head of Amentum’s Energy & Environment-International business. “Amentum’s technology partners and our own expertise in state-of-the-art engineering solutions will drive innovation and collaboration across the supply chain, a critical component of the UK’s national security strategy.”

Rupert Pearce, the MoD’s national armaments director said: “This contract represents exactly the kind of innovative partnership approach that the UK Defence Industrial Strategy demands, bringing together expertise from across defence, large companies, SMEs and academia to deliver at pace.

“The IMP model breaks down traditional organisational boundaries and creates the collaborative environment we need to deliver this critical sovereign capability. We are not only advancing our hypersonic ambitions but also strengthening our defence industrial base and supporting jobs across the UK.”

Subcontractors Ebeni Ltd and Synthetik Applied Technologies UK Ltd will collaborate with Amentum on this project.