Europe’s defence technology sector is attracting significant investment as governments and businesses look to strengthen domestic capabilities and reduce dependence on overseas suppliers. Joining this shift, British German defence startup Hypersonica has raised €100 million in a Series B funding round to accelerate the development of its hypersonic deep strike systems, expand its European operations and establish a larger engineering and manufacturing workforce across the United Kingdom and Germany.
Lightspeed and General Catalyst Lead Investment
Hypersonica announced that its €100 million Series B round was co led by US investment firms Lightspeed and General Catalyst. Existing investors Plural and 201 Ventures also participated, alongside Germany’s Federal Agency for Breakthrough Innovation, SPRIND.
The latest investment follows the company’s €23.3 million Series A round announced in February 2026, which was led by Plural with participation from General Catalyst, 201 Ventures and SPRIND.
Founded in 2023, Hypersonica is headquartered in Munich and operates a subsidiary in London. The company was established to develop advanced defence technologies within Europe, with a focus on building long range hypersonic capabilities for European countries and their allies.
Building Europe’s Independent Defence Capabilities
Hypersonica’s expansion comes at a time when European governments are placing greater emphasis on defence readiness, industrial resilience and technological independence.
The company aims to develop systems using technology that it owns and controls within Europe. This approach is intended to reduce reliance on external suppliers and provide European customers with greater control over critical defence technology.
An important part of this ambition is developing capabilities without dependence on the US International Traffic in Arms Regulations framework, commonly known as ITAR.
The company is also connected to the broader UK German defence cooperation agenda under the Trinity House Agreement, which includes work towards advanced long range conventional weapons. The agreement reflects growing collaboration between the two countries on future defence requirements.
Expanding Testing and Development
The new funding will accelerate Hypersonica’s development programmes and support more frequent testing. It will also help the company expand its engineering operations and strengthen its manufacturing capabilities across Europe.
In February 2026, Hypersonica announced that it had successfully tested its HS 1 prototype at Andøya Space in Norway. According to the company, the prototype achieved speeds exceeding Mach 6 and covered a distance of more than 300 kilometres.
Hypersonica described the achievement as an important milestone for privately funded European defence development. The company also claims its development approach can reduce costs by more than 80% compared with conventional methods.
The Series B investment is expected to help move the company beyond its initial demonstration milestones towards more extensive development and testing.
Hundreds of Jobs Planned in the UK and Germany
Beyond technology development, the investment is expected to create hundreds of highly skilled engineering and manufacturing jobs across the United Kingdom and Germany.
The expansion will contribute to the company’s ambition of building a broader European industrial base, bringing together technical expertise, research capabilities and manufacturing operations.
Hypersonica aims to develop its hypersonic deep strike systems by 2029 while continuing to expand its presence across the European defence ecosystem.
Founders Emphasise Europe’s Strategic Independence
Co founders Dr Philipp Kerth, Chief Executive Officer, and Dr Marc Ewenz, Chief Technology Officer, said the discussion around Europe’s need for hypersonic deep strike capabilities had shifted towards delivering practical solutions.
They highlighted the importance of developing advanced strategic technologies within Europe while improving the value governments receive from defence spending.
The founders also described the latest investment as a transition from demonstration towards delivery, with increased testing and European industrial expansion becoming central priorities.
For Hypersonica, the €100 million funding round represents more than an opportunity to accelerate product development. It is also a step towards establishing a European technology and manufacturing platform designed to support the continent’s long term defence ambitions.
