MBDA Debuts ‘AQUILA’ Hypersonic Airdefence Interceptor Missile in Paris Airshow 2023

As part of its aspirations to deploy an endo-atmospheric interceptor capability by 2030, the European weapon firm MBDA has unveiled a brand-new hypersonic missile interceptor design called Aquila.

Pic: Screengrab of MBDA AQUILA Hypersonic Airdefence Interceptor Missile Part of HYDIS2

Aquila, the product of five years of internal research, is currently included in a three-year, €80 million ($87 million) European Defence Fund (EDF) concept phase and is supported commercially by the Hypersonic Defence Interception Study (HYDIS 2) consortium, which is led by MBDA and includes 19 industry partners and 30 subcontractors from 14 different countries in Europe.

On a more fundamental level, the weapon is compatible with the Timely Warning and Interception with Space-based Theatre Surveillance (TWISTER) programme, which is supported by the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) of the European Union. TWISTER aims to have an endo-atmospheric — meaning it doesn't go into space — hypersonic interceptor entering service in 2030.

The Aquila idea has backing from partner nations France, Italy, Germany, and The Netherlands, according to company executives speaking to the media on Tuesday at the Paris Airshow. These nations will be jointly responsible for deciding on a final design at the conclusion of the concept phase.

For such a solution, "we have clear buy-in from our nations, because we need to make sure to address their requirements, address their threat analysis, and to be aligned with their understanding moving forward," said Rainer Stockhammer, team leader for TWISTER at MBDA. So, with three multistage interceptor architectures, we are starting the concept phase.

To create the greatest Aquila design possible, MBDA will also concentrate on the maturation of crucial technologies.

"On some key technologies, we are starting off with TRL (Technology Readiness Level) one or two, but in the end, we need to manage to come to a certain level of technology readiness to put our nations in a position to start development after three years," stated Stockhammer.

Before a seven-nation consortium led by Spain's Senor Aerospace was chosen by the EU in 2022, MBDA had previously campaigned with Aquila in an effort to earn a spot on the €100 million ($106 million) EDF-funded European Hypersonic Defence Interceptor (HYDEF) programme.

Like TWISTER, which was put up to handle threats beyond 2035, HYDEF was created to provide Europe with an endo-atmospheric interceptor.

According to MBDA's head of counter-hypersonic programmes, Lionel Mazenq, "there is nothing like this [Aquila] in the US or Israel." "The [made by Ryatheon] SM-6 missile is the top ceiling for endo-atmospheric interceptor [capabilities]." However, he pointed out that in terms of developing future endo-atmospheric capabilities, DARPA's Glide Phase Interceptor (GPI) programme has specified a "similar analysis of the situation".

Israeli manufacturer Rafael announced June 14, the release of Sky Sonic, a hypersonic interceptor integrated with “exceptional maneuverability and high-speed capabilities,” according to a company statement. Sky Sonic was unveiled at the Paris Air Show on Monday.