The agreement will see Rocket Lab carry out three HASTE hypersonic test flights from Launch Complex 2 in Virginia, with the missions designed to support the accelerated development of next-generation hypersonic technologies capable of operating at speeds exceeding Mach 5.
Unlike traditional government-funded defence programs, the launches will be financed directly through Anduril’s internal investment capital, reflecting the company’s increasingly aggressive push to rapidly mature advanced military technologies outside conventional acquisition timelines.
In a demonstration of Rocket Lab’s rapid-response launch model, the first mission is expected to lift off within 12 months, highlighting what the company said is an ability to move from contract award to launch in a matter of months rather than years.
Rocket Lab founder and CEO Sir Peter Beck said the partnership combined affordability, responsiveness, and proven testing capability at a time when hypersonic systems are becoming a strategic priority for Western defence forces.
“HASTE represents speed, affordability and reliable hypersonic technology testing, and that’s a powerful combination for government and industry partners like Anduril,” Beck said.
“Together, Rocket Lab and Anduril are helping bridge the gap between hypersonic research and operational deployment as quickly as possible to ensure allied armed forces maintain a decisive technological edge.”
Anduril senior vice-president of engineering, Gokul Subramanian, said the collaboration reflected the company’s broader strategy of partnering with leading commercial technology providers to rapidly scale advanced defence capabilities.
“This partnership demonstrates Anduril’s approach to solving some of the most complex challenges in defence by working alongside the best of the space industrial base to deliver scalable and cost-effective solutions quickly,” he said.
Rocket Lab has increasingly positioned itself as a major player in the hypersonic testing market, with its HASTE platform achieving a 100 per cent mission success rate since entering service in 2023.
The latest contract builds on another significant milestone for the company after the US Test Resource Management Center selected Rocket Lab to provide 20 HASTE launches over four years under the MACH-TB 2.0 program, a major US hypersonic flight testing initiative aimed at accelerating next-generation aerospace and defence technologies.
Combined, Rocket Lab’s HASTE-related contracts now account for almost one-third of the company’s backlog of more than 70 launches, underlining growing demand for rapid and cost-effective hypersonic test capabilities amid intensifying strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.
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