Europe ramps up missile defence with hypo interceptor plan
The Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) has highlighted ongoing efforts to strengthen European defence cooperation. One key aspect of this cooperation is the development of the Hypersonic Defence Interceptor System (HYDIS).
The HYDIS program is a European initiative aimed at developing a modern intercept system capable of effectively protecting Europe's territory, its population, key facilities, and deployed forces from threats associated with hypersonic missiles.
HYDIS - research on destroying hypersonic weapons
The initiative is of great importance because currently, Europe does not have fully effective defence systems against hypersonic missiles, which are among the most advanced and hardest-to-intercept threats. This is partly due to the speed at which hypersonic missiles travel (even 5 Ma, which is over 6,000 km/h) and their difficult-to-predict flight trajectory due to their ability to maneuver in the atmosphere.
Moreover, Europe does not possess such missiles in its arsenal, unlike the United States, China, or Russia. These countries, considered significant security threats to our part of the world, have at least a few such solutions in their arsenals. The Russians boast particularly about their Kh-47M2 Kinzhal missiles, the Avangard system, Zircon missiles, or the latest Oreshnik missiles.
Europe's defence relies mainly on medium- and long-range missile systems, such as the German IRIS-T SLM, the Italian-French SAMP/T, and the American Patriot system deployed in several NATO countries. However, these solutions were primarily designed to counter classic ballistic missiles and aircraft, not advanced hypersonic missiles.
HYDIS program - anti-hypersonic missile defence for Europe
The HYDIS program began in 2024 and includes a three-year conceptual phase. This phase aims to achieve several key objectives by researching, developing, and selecting an effective concept or family of concepts capable of countering hypersonic threats.
These include selecting the most appropriate intercept concept and weapon system architecture, developing the necessary technologies to implement the chosen concept in subsequent program phases, and establishing an industrial network for developing future European missile systems.
The OCCAR manages the program mentioned above under an agreement with the European Commission. The HYDIS consortium includes 19 partners and over 30 subcontractors from 14 European countries. These countries collectively allocated approximately 88 million CAD, with an additional 118 million CAD from the European Defence Fund (EDF). Among them are France, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands.
The core of this system is the American initiative, the European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA), under which the United States deploys its missile defence elements in Europe. An example of this is the Aegis Ashore system, whose components are located, among other places, at the base in Redzikowo. However, it should be noted that Aegis Ashore uses SM-3 Block IB and IIA intercept missiles. These can counter short—and medium-range ballistic missiles but not hypersonic missiles.
