Hypersonica, a British-German startup developing hypersonic missiles, raised EUR100 million in new funding as governments on the continent move to fund long-range strike programs of their own.
The Series B round was co-led by U.S. venture firms Lightspeed and General Catalyst, the Munich-based company said Monday, with existing investors Plural, 201 Ventures and Germany’s Federal Agency for Breakthrough Innovation also participating. It follows a EUR23.2 million Series A in February. Hypersonica didn’t disclose its valuation.
From prototype to program
Founded in 2023, the company tested a prototype in February that it says exceeded Mach 6 over a range of more than 300 kilometers, making it the first privately funded European company to reach that milestone. It claims its development model costs more than 80% less than conventional approaches. The new money will pay for more frequent testing, further development and expanded operations, with plans to add hundreds of engineering and manufacturing jobs in the U.K. and Germany. It aims to deliver operational deep-strike systems by 2029.
Europe’s long-range push
The raise lands as European governments shift from debating long-range strike capabilities to paying for them. Britain’s defense investment plan earmarks an initial GBP770 million over four years for a joint U.K.-German deep precision strike program, and a NATO-led initiative announced in July envisions about GBP37 billion of investment in such weapons over the next decade. Hypersonica, which has a London subsidiary, says its technology is developed and controlled in Europe and free of U.S. export restrictions.
Both lead investors have been active backers of European defense startups, though building and qualifying a hypersonic weapon remains a long and technically demanding path, and the company’s prospects ultimately rest on government procurement decisions.
