The push to co-operate on the development of hypersonic weapons marks the latest effort to increase the partnership between the three countries to counter the rise of China in the Indo-Pacific. Last year, the states signed a pact for the US and UK to help Australia obtain nuclear-powered submarines.
The agreement comes as the Pentagon steps up efforts on hypersonic weapons after recognising that China has leapt ahead in the development of the technology. China has conducted several hundred tests of the missiles, which fly at more than five times the speed of sound. That is far more than the US military, which has carried out fewer than a dozen tests.
The FT previously reported that China last year flew a hypersonic weapon around the earth that was boosted into space on a rocket. The weapon — known as a hypersonic glide vehicle — fired a projectile as it flew over the South China Sea. Pentagon military scientists were stunned that China had overcome some of the constraints of the laws of physics that make it very hard to fire a missile from a weapon travelling at such speeds.
In a recent interview with the FT Admiral John Aquilino, head of Indo-Pacific Command, and General James Dickinson, head of Space Command, said the US and Australia were boosting co-operation in space and cyber, partly because of the growing concern about Chinese hypersonic weapons.
"The ability to identify and track, and defend against those hypersonics is really the key," Aquilino said in Alice Springs ahead of two days of meetings with Australian security and intelligence officials at Pine Gap, a secret satellite intelligence facility run by the CIA and Australia.
Hypersonic missiles pose a problem for the US because they can manoeuvre in flight at very high speeds, unlike ballistic missiles which follow a given trajectory that make them easier to intercept.
The system China tested last year made it possible to send hypersonic weapons over the South Pole, creating another problem for US missile defences that are intended for missile threats coming from over the North Pole.
In the recent interview, Dickinson said his top priority was improving "space domain awareness" — meaning the ability to detect and track missile threats — and that the US and its partners had to invest more in the effort.
One British official said the UK, which has no hypersonic weapon systems, will pool its scientific resources with the US and Australia, which have a joint programme to develop hypersonic cruise missile technology.
London will then decide whether to develop its own hypersonic programme, or to focus on counter hypersonic systems.
"Hypersonic missiles are hard to target, travel very fast and can overcome area denial capabilities," said another UK official, referring to anti-missile defence systems. "We need to think best how to exploit this technology and defend ourselves."
Mike Gallagher, a Republican congressman and leading China hawk in Congress, said the Aukus expansion was a "massive development" but Washington still had to find a solution to implementing elements of Aukus that are hampered by US export control restrictions known as International Traffic in Arms Regulations, or Itar.
"Aukus . . . actually does not provide Australia with any freedom or flexibility from Itar's requirements," Gallagher said. "One thing that might be necessary is to carve out an Aukus exception . . . I [have to] believe it's possible to do that without compromising our own security or putting American manufacturers at a disadvantage."
The announcement of the Aukus expansion comes a day after Australia announced it would spend A$3.5bn (US$2.7bn) to accelerate the upgrade of its existing missile capability ahead of a planned move to manufacture precision missiles in the country.
"There's a potential of conflict within our region within a couple of years. We should be realistic about that threat," Peter Dutton, Australian defence minister, told the country's 9 News on Monday.
Australia has named US suppliers Raytheon and Lockheed Martin as strategic partners for the longer-term plan to create a manufacturing base for advanced weapons capability in Australia.
Written by: Demetri Sevastopulo, John Paul Rathbone and Nic Fildes
© Financial Times
