The European Commission (EC) is choosing between two contenders for the development of hypersonic missile interceptors - the German defense company Diehl Defence and the French company MBDA, the Euractiv portal reports, citing sources.
The German defense concern Diehl Defence provides technical coordination for the HYDEF (HYpersonic DEFence Interceptor Programme) system, which is being developed as part of a program by the Spanish company Sener. HYDEF can intercept missiles reaching speeds of over Mach 5. The French defense company MBDA is leading the HYDIS (Hypersonic Defence Interceptor System) project. Previously, the two projects were developed in parallel, but now they are competing for a single market share.
The EC intends to allocate funds for only one of these programs in 2026, according to people familiar with the matter. Official information about the financing will be published this week.
A merger of the two projects is not ruled out. According to one source, such a move would still lead to increased competition between France and Germany. Euractiv notes that awarding the tender to one company or the other would have serious political and industrial consequences for EU countries for the next few decades.