Australia and UK Will Jointly Develop Cheap Guided Missile

Defense companies from Australia and the United Kingdom have agreed to work together on the Copperhead project, which is intended to provide the troops of both countries with cheap guided missiles.

The agreement was signed by the Australian Defense Science and Technology Group (DSTG) and the UK’s Defense Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl). The cooperation will combine the technological potential of the two countries in the development of next-generation weapons systems.

The project will be based on the Australian Sharktooth missile technology. This development is already considered one of the most promising due to its flexibility and affordability in production.

Sharktooth is a compact missile that allows for the rapid integration of various components: sensors, warhead, guidance systems, and engines. This approach opens up opportunities for rapid modernization of the weapon for specific tasks.

One of the key goals of the cooperation is to develop a modular plug-and-play technology. It will make it possible to create modern weapon subsystems that remain inexpensive to manufacture and easy to adapt.

“This will allow the soldier to combine the necessary weapon components in the field, tailoring it to the current mission,” the DSTG said.

The DSTG is already working on its advanced rocket engine technology demonstrator.