It has been suggested that by 2030, Britain intends to launch a hypersonic cruise missile produced domestically.

According to The Telegraph, military commanders seek to build a weapon that can fly faster than Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound, in order to catch up to China, Russia, and the United States.

According to the publication, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) wants the missile developed and manufactured in the United Kingdom and put into service before the end of the decade.

Because of their speed and manoeuvrability in mid-air, hypersonic weapons—which may travel at speeds significantly greater than those of conventional cruise missiles—may be able to get past an adversary's air defence system.

No decision has been made on whether the weapon would be launched from land, a fighter jet or a warship, according to The Telegraph, which reported the plans are at an early stage.

It comes after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak this week committed to spend 2.5% of gross domestic product on defence by 2030.

The MoD declined to comment in detail on the development of hypersonic missile capability, citing national security concerns, but a spokesperson said: “We are pursuing hypersonic technologies to further develop UK sovereign advanced capabilities.

“We continue to invest in our equipment to meet current and future threats.”

The US and China are believed to be pursuing the weapons while Russia claims it has used them on the battlefield in Ukraine.