Britain to fly hypersonic target from Hebrides range

The United Kingdom plans a live demonstration of a hypersonic target vehicle at the Ministry of Defence's Hebrides Range in Scotland during 2027. Under Project Bowline, the target is being designed, manufactured, qualified and tested to reproduce threats traveling faster than Mach 5 for air and missile-defense evaluation. Defence Minister Luke Pollard confirmed the schedule in a parliamentary answer, explaining that the system will provide a realistic target for tracking, engagement and experimental defensive technologies. Detailed performance and design requirements remain restricted, and the project concerns a test target rather than an announced British operational hypersonic strike missile.