Australia, Britain, and the United States will begin collaborating on increasing defence capacity and hypersonic missile strikes keeping in mind that their rivals China and Russia are advancing rapidly in cutting-edge defence technology.

Overview:

• The trio announced their collaboration on hypersonic missiles as an expansion of the recent defence alliance of AUKUS.
• Under this defence alliance, Australia will also be equipped with nuclear-powered submarines so that they can counter the growing military clout of China.
• The trio is collaborating to work in the field of hypersonic and counter-hypersonic missiles as well as increasing the capabilities of electronic warfare.

Reason for this collaboration

Russia is currently the most advanced in the field of hypersonic missiles with China also increasing its capabilities. To counter this, the AUKUS has got together to increase its capabilities in this field.

About Hypersonic missiles

A hypersonic missile is a type of weapon system that flies at the speed of Mach 5 and can be manoeuvred. The manoeuvrability capability of this missile is what separates it from a ballistic missile. A ballistic missile follows a set trajectory while hypersonic missiles can be manoeuvred to hit an intended target. This manoeuvrability capability of this missile makes it difficult to intercept and they can carry nuclear as well as conventional warheads.