The UK’s hypersonic weapons programme will be “accelerated” by information sharing with Australia and the United States, as the three countries vow to “deepen co-operation on defence innovation”.

Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, Joe Biden, the US president, and Scott Morrison, the Australian prime minister, said that their “AUKUS” pact would now go further than just nuclear-powered submarines and they will “commence new trilateral cooperation on hypersonics, counter-hypersonics, and electronic warfare capabilities”.

While still in the research and development stage, the collaboration is seen as a significant step, as Russia’s war in Ukraine rages on and tensions remain high in the Indo-Pacific.

“We know that other nations are investing in these kinds of capabilities, so we need to think both how we might exploit it to our advantage but also how we might defend against that kind of capability,” a British official said.

China, Russia and North Korea ahead of the game

The British official added: “By sharing the information that we’ve got and research that we’ve done with the understanding that’s built up with the US and Australia, that will enable us to accelerate our programmes and understanding of our own capabilities, the development of technology, and potential capabilities of our adversaries.”

China, Russia and North Korea all have hypersonic missiles, while the US successfully tested one last month.

Putin described the weapons, which are capable of carrying nuclear warheads, as “invincible” when he unveiled them in 2018. Russia has since said that they have been used in Ukraine.

Hypersonic missiles fly at least five times the speed of sound – the equivalent to 3,836 miles an hour.

Their extreme speed makes them capable of penetrating hardened sites. They are also highly manoeuvrable, unlike traditional ballistic missiles, and able to avoid air defence systems.