MADRID, — The European Hypersonic Defence Interceptor (EU HYDEF) consortium has completed the preliminary development phase of a European interceptor designed to counter hypersonic threats. The follow-on effort, known as HYDEF2, has expanded the consortium to 41 participating entities from 16 European countries.
The three-year initial phase had an estimated budget of €110 million and was co-funded by the European Defence Fund (EDF) and five participating nations: Belgium, Germany, Norway, Poland and Spain. The Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation (OCCAR) manages the programme on behalf of the European Commission and the participating states.
The programme aims to develop an endo-atmospheric interceptor capable of engaging hypersonic glide vehicles, hypersonic cruise missiles and highly manoeuvrable ballistic missiles inside the atmosphere. The system is intended to address advanced airborne threats expected from 2035 onward.
HYDEF Completes Preliminary Development Phase
The consortium established the interceptor concept in August 2025, followed by the approval of the Preliminary System Requirements in August 2026. This approval marked the completion of the technical work planned for the first phase.
According to the consortium, all subsystems achieved technical maturity above the project's initial targets. The work established the interceptor's technical concept, system architecture and development foundation, while the industrial cooperation developed during the programme provides a basis for further engineering.
The first phase officially concluded on October 22, 2026, when HYDEF presented its findings at Spain’s Centre for National Defence Studies (CESEDEN) in Madrid.
The meeting was attended by OCCAR officials and representatives from Spain, Germany, Poland, Belgium and Norway. Participants also outlined a short-term roadmap for the interceptor's continued development.
HYDEF2 Expands European Defence Cooperation
Spanish company Sistemas de Misiles de España (SMS) serves as programme coordinator, while Germany's Diehl Defence is the technical coordinator. The original consortium included industrial partners from Belgium, Germany, Norway, Poland and Spain.
The first phase received approximately €100 million from the European Defence Fund and €10 million from the five participating nations. OCCAR signed the contract for the phase with the Spanish coordinator on October 31, 2023.
The project was launched following a 2021 European Defence Fund call focused on protection against high-velocity aerial threats. Its work included simulations, technical analysis and functional testing to validate the interceptor concept.
The Block 0 configuration achieved at least Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3 across critical technologies, with several technologies reaching TRL 4 to 6. The programme's technology roadmap targets a TRL 6 demonstrator by 2030.
HYDEF is also linked to the broader European defence effort under the PESCO TWISTER initiative, which focuses on theatre missile defence and early-warning capabilities.
The expanded HYDEF2 consortium is expected to support the next stage of development under the European Defence Fund's follow-on effort, known as EATMI II.
However, the latest announcements have not specified the follow-on programme's funding allocation, detailed development schedule or expected operational service-entry date.
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