OCCAR signs hypersonic interceptor contract, kick-starting HYDEF development

The overall system will be able to detect and intercept hypersonic cruise missiles (HCMs) as well as highly agile hypersonic glide vehicles (HGVs)

As a consortium partner, Diehl Defence announced that OCCAR signed the Hypersonic Defence Interceptor Study (HYDEF) in Bonn, Germany on 31 October.

This marks the official start of the project. The consortium consists of 13 companies from seven European nations. The project is being funded with €100m ($106.3m).

Spanish Missile Systems (SMS) is responsible for project management within HYDEF. Meanwhile, the German air defence systems manufacturer, Diehl Defence, headquartered at Lake Constance, manages the technical implementation, from the development of the overall system to the interceptor itself. 

HYDEF is based on the successful signing of the contract in July 2022, when the European Commission announced the HYDEF project as the winner of the tender. At that time, the HYDEF project was able to prevail over the competitor and could clearly win the Europe-wide tender.

On the German side also Hensoldt and Airbus are involved as national partners in the HYDEF project. The goal is to expand the technology leadership in Germany and to provide the user with fully accessible, open system elements.

Diehl Defence CEO Helmut Rauch congratulated the project team, commenting: “This is an important milestone for the HYDEF project. The realisation of tomorrow’s air defence, specifically against hypersonic threats, can now begin in Europe.”