The United States, the United Kingdom and Australia announced on Tuesday the start of a new cooperation between them to develop hypersonic weapons and anti-aircraft weapons, as well as electronic warfare systems.
The announcement came after a virtual meeting between US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, as part of the emerging trilateral security agreement between the three countries known as "Ocos".
"Today we pledged to start a new trilateral cooperation on hypersonic and anti-arms and electronic warfare capabilities, as well as expand information sharing and deepen cooperation in defense innovation," the leaders of the three countries said in a joint statement.
The statement added that this initiative will support efforts to deepen cooperation in cyber capabilities, artificial intelligence, quantum technology, and more undersea capabilities.
"As our work progresses in these areas and other critical defense and security capabilities, we will seek opportunities to engage close allies and partners," the statement continued.
It should be noted that last year Australia, the United States and Britain formed a tripartite alliance called "Ocos", which is seen as another attempt to counter China's growing economic and military influence in the region.
The agreement raised the ire of several countries, led by China, Russia and North Korea.
China warned that the alliance risks "serious damage to regional peace and intensifying the arms race".
arms race
Russia, China, the United States and North Korea have all tested hypersonic missiles, and Tuesday's announcement comes just weeks after Moscow announced its first launch of the missiles during its war in Ukraine.
Hypersonic missiles can fly at more than 5 times the speed of sound.
Whereas ballistic missiles fly high in space in an arc to reach their target, a hypersonic weapon flies on a low trajectory in the atmosphere, potentially reaching the target more quickly.
Russia is seen as the most advanced country in this field, while China is also aggressively developing this technology, according to the US Congressional Research Service.
The Congressional Research Service had previously noted that France, Germany, Australia, India and Japan are developing hypersonic weapons, in addition to Iran, Israel and South Korea doing basic research on them.