Diehl defence presents first European Hypersonic glide vehicle interceptor at ILA 2024.

On October 31, 2023, the contract between the OCCAR (Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en matière d'Armement) and Spanish Missile Systems (SMS) for the HYDEF project (Hypersonic Defence Interceptor Study) was signed in Bonn, Germany. Today, at the ILA 2024 trade show, the final system models are being presented.
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HYDEF interceptor missile models presented by Diehl Defence at ILA 2024 (Picture source: Army Recognitin)

As the first European defense program against hypersonic threats, the HYDEF project led by the consortium around SMS (including Escribano Mechanical & Engineering, GMV, and SENER AEROSPACIAL from Spain, and Diehl Defence from Germany) has positioned itself distinctly by signing the contract with OCCAR.

The Spanish company SMS is responsible for managing the HYDEF project. The German air defense systems company Diehl Defence, headquartered at Lake Constance, is in charge of the technical implementation from the development of the overall system to the interceptor itself. The entire system is capable of detecting and intercepting hypersonic cruise missiles (HCM) as well as highly agile hypersonic glide vehicles (PL) with speeds of nearly Mach 20 (6 km/s). This will be achieved through the networking of various sensors, partially space-based, and the interception system, which will be deployed based on existing NATO BMD command and control systems as much as possible.

The prototype is presented as a staged missile allowing maximum thrust and weight reduction as it ascends out of the atmosphere.

Diehl Defence develops and produces the medium-range ground-based air defense system IRIS-T SLM, which has been successfully deployed in Ukraine to ensure the protection of the Ukrainian population. Additionally, Diehl Defence is a reliable partner of the German Bundeswehr and international armed forces in the fields of missiles, ammunition, training systems, and protection.

The HYDEF project is based on a European initiative to defend against hypersonic weapons, which are now becoming more widely available. Currently, five European countries are participating in the project: Spain, Germany, Poland, Norway, and Belgium.

HYDEF is closely linked to the European TWISTER project "Timely Warning and Interception with Space-based TheatER surveillance" and is funded with 100 million euros.