Silicon Valley Investors Betting on Hypersonic Missile Technology to Help U.S. Military Catch Up
The United States is lagging behind its biggest rivals in hypersonic missile technology, but Silicon Valley investors are now betting they can help the U.S. military catch up. Venture capitalists, known for investing in business software services and social media apps, are pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into developing hypersonic weapons technology that the U.S. military has been trying to develop for decades without success.
China and Russia already have hypersonic weapons that can be used on the battlefield, but the United States does not have it yet. Silicon Valley investors and startups are now aiming to fill this gap by entering the hypersonics race, marking one of the industry’s most ambitious forays into the U.S. defense sector.
The technical challenges of hypersonic systems require a collaborative effort between startups, large defense companies, and the U.S. government to overcome. One Silicon Valley defense technology venture capital firm, Eclipse Ventures, has invested in hypersonics startup Ursa Major. Seth Winterroth, a partner at Eclipse Ventures, highlighted the importance of catching up in hypersonic technology, stating, “We are lagging behind our opponents in this regard and we must work together to catch up.”
Hypersonic aircraft and weapons travel at least five times the speed of sound, or 3,800 miles per hour, and require the ability to withstand extreme temperatures. The U.S. Department of Defense has invested billions of dollars in hypersonic technology in recent years, with plans to field offensive hypersonic weapons in the early to mid-2020s.
While the industry has attracted significant investment from venture capitalists, the process of selling products to the U.S. Department of Defense remains slow and time-consuming. Despite the challenges, startups like Ursa Major and Castelion are pushing forward with plans to develop hypersonic missile systems.
As the race for hypersonic technology continues, Silicon Valley investors are optimistic about the potential for breakthroughs in national security and defense capabilities. With the support of venture capital, the U.S. military may soon be able to close the gap with its adversaries in the hypersonic arms race.