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The UK, US and Australia have stepped up their defence partnership by agreeing to work collectively on hypersonic and anti-hypersonic weaponry.
The Australia-UK-US – or AUKUS – deal introduced final September initially targeted on sharing nuclear submarine improvement within the Pacific at a time of rising concern over China.
Now the three nations have additionally turned their consideration to Russia and added new areas of co-operation – together with on hypersonic weapon expertise, which is alleged to have been used not too long ago by Vladimir Putin’s forces in Ukraine.
In a progress replace issued collectively by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, US President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, the leaders reaffirmed their dedication to a “free and open Indo-Pacific”.
They added: “In mild of Russia’s unprovoked, unjustified and illegal invasion of Ukraine, we reiterated our unwavering dedication to a world system that respects human rights, the rule of regulation, and the peaceable decision of disputes free from coercion.”
The assertion dedicated the nations to work collectively on hypersonics and counter-hypersonics in addition to digital warfare capabilities, whereas additionally increasing data sharing and deepening co-operation on defence innovation.
It comes after Russia mentioned that it had deployed its “Kinzhal” hypersonic missile in Ukraine – a weapon that may fly at 10 occasions the velocity of sound and can’t be reliably tracked or intercepted at that velocity by any present defence system.
The US and China have examined hypersonic weapons and North Korea has claimed to have completed so.
In America, the $773bn price range request for 2023 submitted by the Pentagon final week consists of $4.7bn for analysis and improvement of hypersonic weapons.
The US and Australia have already got a hypersonic weapon programme referred to as SCIFiRE and British officers mentioned that
although Britain wouldn’t be part of that programme at this level, the three nations would work collectively on analysis and improvement within the space to extend their choices.
The most recent joint AUKUS assertion mentioned they’d search “to speed up improvement of superior hypersonic and counter-hypersonic capabilities”.
It additionally mentioned the nations had been happy with progress within the partnership’s preliminary plan to assist the Australian navy procure a a number of fleet of nuclear-powered submarines.
Final month, Mr Morrison introduced a plan to arrange a brand new submarine base on the east coast of Australia.
London, Washington and Canberra are additionally in search of to work collectively in cyber and quantum applied sciences in addition to synthetic intelligence and robotic submarines – all additionally areas by which Western democracies are racing rival powers to realize the higher hand.
The preliminary announcement of the AUKUS pact triggered outrage in Paris, because the submarine deal supplanted a earlier plan for France to provide Australia with diesel-electric boats.
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