German military acquisition agency has awarded a contract to create a “two-stage, horizontally take-off and fully reusable hypersonic research aircraft.”
The commission was issued by the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) to the startup company POLARIS Raumflugzeuge headquartered in Bremen.
The future hypersonic aerial vehicle for the Bundeswehr will be utilized as a hypersonic testbed and experiment platform for “defense-related and scientific research.” Additionally, it could even launch small satellites into space with an additional expendable upper stage, Hartpunkt explains.
The contract terms and project details are only described in general words. POLARIS Raumflugzeuge’s task will be to not only present design drawings but also conduct first tests of the aerial vehicle prototype by 2028. A rocket booster will be used for the first stage, and the aircraft must be able to reach true hypersonic flight speeds over Mach 5.
Necessary technological solutions will be developed through an iterative approach, i.e. by repeatedly making new models until the best solution is found. The largest of models created so far had a fuselage length of 5 meters and a weight of 240 kilograms. This year, the manufacturer is planning to trial an 8-meters-long aircraft with a launch weight of about 2 tons.
The parties of this contract don’t disclose whether the finished aircraft for the Bundeswehr will be manned or a hypersonic drone similar to those China is currently working on. Here’s a photo of a Chinese WZ-8 for reference:
Meanwhile, the concept images from POLARIS Raumflugzeuge only outline the looks of the future aircraft, although its profile may undergo many changes in the process and will only be nearing the final vision closer to the experimental stage of development around 2028.
What’s worth pointing out is that acquiring an aircraft with utility to launch satellites into space gives Germany more freedom to conduct independent space reconnaissance.