Hypersonica raises €23.3M as Europe's first private hypersonic missile hits Mach 6
What's the deal? Hypersonica, an Anglo-German defence startup, has raised €23.3M in Series A funding and completed Europe's first privately funded hypersonic missile test. The flight took place on February 3 at Andøya Space in Norway, with the prototype exceeding Mach 6 (over 7,400 km/h) and reaching more than 300 km.
Plural, a London VC, led the round. Germany's Federal Agency for Breakthrough Innovation (SPRIND)Dealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →— making its first investment in a defence company — participated alongside General Catalyst and 201 VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →.
Founded in December 2023 by Oxford PhD graduates Dr Philipp KerthDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →(chief executive officer) and Dr Marc EwenzDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →(chief technology officer), Hypersonica is headquartered near Munich with a subsidiary in London. The 50-person startup aims to deliver initial hypersonic strike capability by 2027 and fully operational systems by 2029.
Why now? Europe faces growing pressure to develop sovereign defence capabilities as Russia deploys hypersonic weapons in Ukraine. NATO members have signalled clear demand for European-built systems.
Traditional missile programmes can take 10 or 20 years. Hypersonica claims its modular approach can cut costs by more than 80% — the company went from design to launchpad in nine months.
"But we don't have 20 years in Europe," Kerth said.
What could go wrong? The transition from tests to operational weapons remains unproven. Hypersonica's €23.3M is modest compared to US competitor Castelion, which raised $350M in December 2025.
Hypersonic missiles face fundamental technical challenges, particularly managing extreme heat at speeds above Mach 5. The US Congressional Budget Office has noted these weapons typically cost a third more than comparable ballistic missiles.
The signal: Europe's defence tech ecosystem is maturing. Government agencies like SPRIND now back weapons development directly, and private capital flows into previously taboo sectors.
Hypersonica represents a broader shift: startups using iterative, software-driven approaches to compress development cycles that once took decades. Success could reshape how Europe builds advanced weapons.
Sources:
Resilience Media
Defense News
European Spaceflight
Defence Industry EU
Table.media
UK Defence Journal
B.S.
